​The Los Angeles Kings are that much closer to returning to the ice at Crypto.com Arena.The NHL released its 2026-27 schedule for all 32 teams on Thursday, July 16. It’s a new look for the league’s calendar, with each club set to play 84 games — four of which will be against each division opponent — and the season opener scheduled for Sept. 29.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Kings are coming off an up-and-down 2025-26 season in which they fired head coach Jim Hiller on March 1 after a prolonged slump left them out of the playoff picture. They rebounded under interim head coach DJ Smith with an 11-6-6 record to close out the season and qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs in Anze Kopitar’s last ride. They were swept in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche.This year, the Kings and new head coach Peter Laviolette will open the season how the last one ended — against the Avalanche. They follow that Sept. 30 game in Denver with a trip to Northern California to face the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 3 before returning to LA to host the Florida Panthers on Oct. 6.With the full slate of Kings games officially set, here’s a look at the top five best matchups on their 2026-27 schedule.What better way to start off this list than with the season opener. The Avs won the Stanley Cup in 2022 and looked to be well on their way to another championship last season as winners of the Presidents’ Trophy (best record in the regular season). They made quick work of the Kings in the first round but ultimately suffered the same fate themselves, being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference finals.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLaviolette will get a chance to start his reign on a strong note if he can lead the Kings to a win in Denver.The Panthers have been the perennial power in the NHL, winners of back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and ’25 though injuries and inconsistent play last season led them to miss the postseason for the first time since 2019. In fact, Florida became the first defending champion to miss the playoffs since … the 2015 Kings.LA has 10 back-to-backs this season in total, though none (at this point in time) carry more weight than their rivalry series against the Ducks in late November. The Kings have had success in the Freeway Face-Off, but that fortune flipped in 2025-26 when the Ducks won three of the four meetings. LA’s lone victory was a decisive one — a 6-1 thrashing on Dec. 27, 2025, in which Alex Laferriere scored his first NHL hat trick.1 / 28Forward Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he will join brother Matthews.(James Guillory, Imagn Images)Kings fans should circle this matchup on their calendars for two reasons: It’ll mark fired coach Hiller’s return to Los Angeles with the Maple Leafs after he was hired on June 17, and it will be their first chance to get a look at 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick Gavin McKenna.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFrom first glances at a top pr