Toews, Marner among new faces in new places for 2025-26 season

Many NHL players have changed teams either via free agency or trades -- including before the NHL Trade Deadline last season -- and will visit their former homes as a visitor for the first time this season. NHL.com takes a look at some of the bigger names who have moved on and when they will visit their former team (listed by date).

Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins, Oct. 21

Marchand spent 16 seasons with the Bruins and is arguably one of the best players in their history. He ranks fourth in games (1,090) and goals (422), fifth in points (976) and sixth in assists (554). The forward was traded to the Panthers on March 7, and although Florida played at Boston following the trade, Marchand was injured and unable to play. He will get his first chance to do so in October.

J.T. Miller, New York Rangers at Vancouver Canucks, Oct. 28

Miller was with the Canucks for six seasons and had a career-high 103 points (37 goals, 66 assists) in 81 games for them in 2023-24. The forward was traded to the Rangers on Jan. 31 and had a goal and an assist in his first game against his former team, a 5-3 win at Madison Square Garden on March 22, but will return to Vancouver for the first time early this season.

John Gibson, Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks, Oct. 31

Halloween will see the return of long-time Ducks goalie John Gibson to Anaheim, where he played 12 seasons. Gibson was 204-217-63 with a 2.89 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and 24 shutouts, and is the Ducks’ all-time leader in games played among goalies (506), is second in wins and third in shutouts.

K'Andre Miller, Carolina Hurricanes at New York Rangers, Nov. 4

A stalwart on the Rangers defense for five seasons, Miller had 132 points (36 goals, 96 assists) in 368 regular-season games with New York and three seasons of more than 100 hits and blocked shots before he was traded to the Hurricanes on July 1 and signed an eight-year contract with them.

Nikolaj Ehlers, Carolina Hurricanes at Winnipeg Jets, Nov. 21

One of the top free agents available this offseason, Ehlers signed a six-year contract with the Hurricanes on July 3 after 10 seasons with the Jets. He had 520 points (225 goals, 295 assists) in 674 regular-season games with them and ranks in the top seven in each of those categories in franchise history.

Brock Nelson, Colorado Avalanche at New York Islanders, Dec. 4

Nelson will play the Islanders in Colorado on Nov. 16, a few weeks before he will make his return to UBS Arena. Selected by New York in the first round (No. 30) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Nelson had 574 points (295 goals, 279 assists) in 901 regular-season games with the Islanders, ranking fourth in games played, fifth in goals and eighth in points during his 12 seasons with them.

Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, Anaheim Ducks at New York Rangers, Dec. 15

Kreider, the longtime Rangers forward, was traded to Anaheim on June 12. He had 582 points (326 goals, 256 assists), ranking seventh in games played (883), third in goals and 10th in points in team history. Trouba, a defenseman who was Rangers captain for two seasons, was traded to the Ducks on Dec. 6, 2024.

Jonathan Toews, Winnipeg Jets at Chicago Blackhawks, Jan. 19

It will be a memorable day for the player who wore No. 19 for the Blackhawks for 15 seasons. Toews won the Stanley Cup three times, the Conn Smythe Trophy, had more than 800 points and was voted one of the 100 Greatest Players in NHL history at the League's centennial celebration in 2017. The longtime Chicago captain last played in 2023 and signed with his hometown Jets on July 2; he did not play in the League the past two seasons. Toews could face his former team for the first time in Winnipeg on Oct. 30.

Mitch Marner, Vegas Golden Knights at Toronto Maple Leafs, Jan. 23

Marner, who spent his first nine seasons with the Maple Leafs, signed an eight-year contract with them on July 1 and was then traded to the Golden Knights. The forward ranks fifth in Toronto history in points (741) in 657 games and will return to Scotiabank Arena eight days after he'll face the Maple Leafs for the first time on Jan. 15 in Las Vegas.

Seth Jones, Florida Panthers at Chicago Blackhawks, Jan. 25

After spending four seasons with the Blackhawks, Jones was traded to the Panthers on March 1 and won the Stanley Cup with them. The defenseman won't have to wait long to face his former team; Florida hosts Chicago on opening night (Oct. 7). Jones will then return to United Center in January.

Trevor Zegras, Philadelphia Flyers at Anaheim Ducks, March 18

The forward has had injury troubles the past few seasons, but when healthy, fans can expect a lacrosse-style goal -- or at least an attempt at one. Zegras had 186 points (67 goals, 119 assists) in 268 games for the Ducks since 2020 before he was traded to the Flyers on June 23. He'll play against Anaheim on Jan. 6 before visiting Honda Center in March.

Noah Dobson, Montreal Canadiens at New York Islanders, April 12

Dobson spent six seasons with the Islanders before he was traded to the Canadiens on June 27 and signed an eight-year contract with them. He had a career-high 70 points (10 goals, 60 assists) in 79 games in 2023-24 and averaged 23:16 of ice time last season. The defenseman will play against the Islanders at Bell Centre on Feb. 26.