The NHL’s Minnesota Wild aren’t the only pro team on the ice to cement fresh game telecast arrangements set to start with the upcoming 2026-2027 season. Three other teams are making changes, and they each involve NHL Productions as the telecast producer.
The Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues and the Carolina Hurricanes have each signed agreements allowing NHL Productions to produce each franchise’s game telecasts.
The agreements extend beyond programming to include “premium game production;” advanced graphics and replay capabilities; and technical and engineering support.
“We are excited about working with the NHL and its award-winning production team to continue delivering the best Blue Jackets coverage to our fans,” said Blue Jackets Vice President of Business Intelligence and Broadcasting Marc Gregory. “This partnership allows us to leverage the league’s industry-leading production resources and storytelling capabilities to bring the game closer to our fans than ever before. We are continuing to work on our distribution platforms and look forward to announcing those details in the near future.”
For the Blues, ad sales efforts had been in progress before news of the NHL Productions arrangement — anticipated following the demise of FanDuel Sports Networks relationship with the NHL over financial constraints.
“This partnership ensures the team will also oversee all aspects of production, marketing and distribution of a new team-owned and operated multimedia platform to be announced at a later date,” the Blues said.
Team Executive VP and Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Steve Chapman added, “This partnership is an ideal arrangement for the St. Louis Blues that leverages the production strength of the NHL while giving our organization more control over every aspect of our local broadcasts than ever before. While we still have more work to do before we can provide detailed answers to every question about our broadcasts for the upcoming season, this production agreement is a key step in that process. This partnership with the NHL will enable us to continue delivering reliable access to Blues hockey in ways familiar to our fans and with the ability to expand our reach to even wider audiences.”
The Blues also said the team is working to finalize broadcast agreements with unnamed over-the-air providers. Details are being negotiated and will be formally announced before the beginning of the season, the team added.
For the NHL Hurricanes, formerly the Hartford Whalers, Hurricanes Holdings CEO Brian Fork confirmed a network is in the works and that Hurricanes Holdings will oversee distribution, production and ad sales, along with marketing in a partnership with the NHL.
“We’re thrilled to launch our own sports network and provide consistent access to Hurricanes hockey for our great fans,” Fork said. “More than ever before, the organization will have the freedom to deliver innovative programming that strengthens the connection between the team, its fans and its community partners.”
It was not known if broadcast TV in the greater Raleigh-Durham area is in the mix, as cable, satellite and streaming options were specifically noted by the Hurricanes on Tuesday.
