Which NHL Teams Travel the Most? Rest-of-Season Miles Ranked

By Christopher Boan

Feb 24th, 2026 2:59 PM EST

Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com

Now that the Olympics have come and gone, it’s high time for hockey fans on both sides of the border to get back to rooting for their respective NHL teams, and to NHL betting. The puck drops on the NHL’s unofficial second half on Wednesday night.

With anywhere from 23 to 27 games remaining on each team’s schedule, the team at Bookies.com wanted to break down which NHL teams have the easiest (and most difficult) paths toward the postseason. We broke down each team’s travel mileage and strength of schedule.

NHL Remaining Travel Miles & Schedule Difficulty Index

Remaining NHL Travel Miles

No team will have to travel more for NHL road trips than the St. Louis Blues, who will trek nearly 19,000 miles between now and the end of the league year. That’s largely because the Blues reside in the NHL’s Central Division, which stretches from the banks of the Mississippi River west toward the Wasatch, leading to some excessive treks for the NHL remaining schedule 2026.

Unsurprisingly, the No. 2 team, travel wise, is the Blues’ closest divisional foe to the west. The Colorado Avalanche rank second overall with 17,066 miles of travel remaining.

The Avs have thrived in the face of adversity this season, with a league-leading 83 points and a five point edge over the Minnesota Wild in that Central Division. Colorado, aiming to make the postseason for the ninth consecutive season, has eight road trips in the team’s final 27 games, averaging 609.5 miles apiece.

Oddsmakers aren’t worried about travel mileage, it appears, as the Avalanche are the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup. As of Feb. 24, DraftKings Sportsbook has Colorado at +350 odds, despite the team’s Western Conference-leading eight road trips and four instances of NHL back-to-back games.

Of the top five teams in upcoming travel miles, the Vegas Golden Knights (No. 3 at 16,912 miles traveled) and Seattle Kraken (No. 4 at 16,438 miles) reside in the Pacific Division. The Winnipeg Jets (16,249 miles) are fifth, and the third member of the eight-team Central Division collective to make the list.

Conversely, the NHL teams with the easiest remaining travel schedule are all in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. The Columbus Blue Jackets have the shortest remaining distance, at 8,305 miles, which could help their recent NHL playoff push.

The New York Rangers (8,138 miles) and New Jersey Devils (6,631 miles) are next on the chart for shortest distances left for life after the NHL Olympic break schedule. The Rangers are last in the Eastern Conference with 50 points while the Islanders (69 points) are third in the Metro, clinging on to a playoff spot. At Caesars Sportsbook, the Isles have -170 odds to make the postseason and +143 odds to miss out.

NHL Schedule Difficulty Index: Who Has Hardest Playoff Path?

When it comes to the hardest NHL schedule remaining, the Pittsburgh Penguins – second in the Metro – lead the way, with a Schedule Difficulty Index of 82.7 according to our methodology.

Pittsburgh is at the max number for opponent strength and games against likely playoff contenders. That offsets the Penguins’ manageable travel load down the stretch.

The Penguins are just ahead of the Metro-leading Carolina Hurricanes (81.5 SDI) and the Atlantic Division’s Boston Bruins (80.9 SDI) on our schedule difficulty chart. All three have a tough path as they look to gain ground in the league table going forward.

Conversely, the NHL team with the easiest remaining schedule will mostly likely be watching the postseason on television like the rest of us: It’s the Rangers (38.7 SDI). Two West contenders, the Los Angeles Kings (40.3 SDI) and Anaheim Ducks (33.6 SDI) have relatively easier schedules. Can both organizations from the City of Angels make the playoffs in the same year for the first time since 2018?

SDI Scoring System (100 pts max)

Note: Every team earns points in every category (15% floor). No team scores zero in any factor.

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