Florida Panthers will have to travel the long road to make the playoffs
Cats will log the most air miles among the Eastern Conference's sixteen teams.
Former On The Forecheck head honcho Dirk Hoag as compiled his annual Super Schedule for the NHL's 30 clubs. After traveling 42,786 miles last season, the Florida Panthers will rack up 41,891 miles in 2015-16 to lead the Eastern Conference once again. The Cats are the only Eastern Conference team in the league's top ten. Nine Western Conference clubs, led by the San Jose Sharks at a staggering 50,362 miles, will travel more.
The Panthers will go back-to-back fourteen times, up from twelve last season, but that number puts them in the middle of the pack, so the schedule makers weren't too unkind. The Columbus Blue Jackets will play the most back-to-backs with a hefty eighteen on their docket. Florida's first back-to-back comes early in the season (games two & three), as they will face the Philadelphia Flyers on October 12 in The City of Brotherly Love before jetting home to tussle with the Carolina Hurricanes a day later.
Here is Dirk's complete Captain's Travel Log, Stardate 2015-16. Thanks for the fine work, sir. Live long and prosper.
| Team | 2015-16 Miles | 2015-16 B-to-B | 2014-15 Miles | 2014-15 B-to-B |
| San Jose Sharks | 50,362 | 14 | 45,318 | 11 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 49,401 | 9 | 45,597 | 11 |
| Dallas Stars | 48,419 | 12 | 48,216 | 12 |
| Calgary Flames | 48,341 | 12 | 38,874 | 10 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 45,711 | 13 | 45,173 | 12 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 44,653 | 11 | 46,967 | 13 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 43,750 | 13 | 44,100 | 9 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 42,901 | 10 | 44,167 | 12 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 42,380 | 12 | 42,027 | 9 |
| Florida Panthers | 41,891 | 14 | 42,786 | 12 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 41,558 | 16 | 40,800 | 16 |
| Minnesota Wild | 40,976 | 15 | 41,178 | 13 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 40,974 | 13 | 37,221 | 12 |
| St. Louis Blues | 40,649 | 12 | 38,965 | 14 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 40,504 | 15 | 49,818 | 13 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 39,947 | 16 | 37,135 | 16 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 39,332 | 13 | 40,074 | 15 |
| Ottawa Senators | 38,796 | 14 | 33,421 | 13 |
| Boston Bruins | 38,236 | 11 | 38,938 | 16 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 37,602 | 18 | 35,139 | 19 |
| Nashville Predators | 36,971 | 12 | 42,096 | 11 |
| New Jersey Devils | 36,271 | 12 | 33,597 | 18 |
| New York Rangers | 36,089 | 17 | 36,113 | 13 |
| Washington Capitals | 35,487 | 13 | 36,487 | 16 |
| New York Islanders | 35,015 | 15 | 33,214 | 16 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 34,811 | 15 | 31,272 | 14 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 34,201 | 15 | 37,022 | 19 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 33,880 | 16 | 34,020 | 18 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 33,660 | 17 | 32,444 | 17 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 33,487 | 17 | 34,179 | 12 |
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