Ranking which Global Series trip actually helps a team's season
Boston, Edmonton, Chicago and Ottawa all cross the Atlantic this era. Here's how each trip lines up against team needs and roster health.
The NHL’s European expansion keeps growing. Chicago and Ottawa play Dusseldorf this December, while Boston and Edmonton have each added two more Global Series games in Munich and Cologne for 2027-28. Not every team is equally positioned to absorb the travel and schedule disruption.
1. Edmonton: upside outweighs the cost
The Oilers just added Devon Levi and Frederik Andersen in net after the Nurse trade, and a roster still built around Connor McDavid and back-to-back Cup Final appearances can treat two extra games in Munich and Cologne as a marketing and morale boost rather than a burden. A team this deep into a competitive window can absorb a long-haul trip better than one still finding its footing.
2. Boston: a chance to reset
Boston’s trip lands in the same 2027-28 window as Edmonton’s. For a franchise between competitive cycles, a Munich-Cologne swing is lower-risk than it would be for a tight playoff bubble team, since there is less to protect in the standings if the travel costs a game or two in form.
3. Chicago: the timing is awkward
The Blackhawks play Dusseldorf this December, arriving without Connor Bedard, who is out to start the season following shoulder surgery on the back of his new 5-year, $75M extension. Chicago already allowed 3.60 xGA/60 with Bedard on the ice last season. Sending a rebuilding roster overseas without its franchise player barely into the year is the toughest scheduling draw of the bunch.
4. Ottawa: low stakes, low downside
The Senators also play Dusseldorf this December, but Ottawa enters the season having already reshaped its roster, trading Brady Tkachuk to Florida for four picks and flipping one of those picks for William Eklund from San Jose. A team mid-rebuild has less on the line if a European trip disrupts a week of form than a team chasing a playoff spot in real time.
International games are good business for the league. Whether they help or hurt a given team still comes down to where that team sits on the competitive curve when the trip lands.
Odds and market references describe the situation at the time of writing. You must meet the legal gambling age in your province or territory. See responsible gambling.