Report: NHL considering increasing regular season to 84 games

The NHL is considering increasing its regular-season schedule from 82 games to 84, sources told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

Under the current format, some teams play only three games against a divisional rival, while others play four. To round out the rest of the schedule, all teams play three contests against non-divisional squads residing in the same conference and two games against each opponent from the other conference.

By adding two more games into the mix, teams would then be able to take on their divisional opponents four times each in a season.

The idea of an 84-game schedule wasn't formally broached at the recent board of governors meeting, but it is expected to be discussed at the general managers' meeting in March, according to Wyshynski.

Sportico first reported on the NHL's consideration of a schedule shift earlier this week. General managers reportedly explored the topic in November with the goal of reducing travel, adding more games between local rivals, and ultimately bringing in more money across the league.