The NHL released the 2024-25 preseason schedule today and as always, fans are not happy about it. Obviously, the pre-season is a necessary requirement for everyone involved in the league. Not only do the players need time to get up to game speed, but broadcasts need to do technical adjustments, and organizations need time to assess potential personnel changes. This year, the preseason will take place over 15 days starting September 21st and ending on October 5th. <q>The @NHL announced the 2024-25 composite preseason schedule, a 15-day, 106-game slate played across 40 NHL and neutral-site venues in North America and Europe from Sept. 21 to Oct. 5.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1820837667686293591'> </a></blockquote></div> Many fans have come to believe that the pre-season is too long, and there has even been support for this idea from some teams across the league. However, the NHL does not appear to be doing that this year as there will be 106 games in total, an average of just over 6 per team. <q>Shorten pre season and start Oct 1st</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/MustardSports/status/1820904368063107147'> </a></blockquote></div> That being said, this year does include some special events during the pre-season that would not make sense to do any other time of year. 1st is the annual Kraft Hockeyville game, which will take place in Lake Elliot, Ontario this year. The Buffalo Sabres will also be travelling to Munich, Germany for some exhibition games. <q>Preseason highlights include the Utah Hockey Club making its NHL debut; the Buffalo Sabres traveling overseas for an historic arena opening in Munich, Germany; and the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins celebrating Kraft Hockeyville with the winning community for 2024, Elliot Lake, Ontario.</q> The Utah Hockey Club will also be playing their first ever game as a franchise on September 22nd when they take on the Blues from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. They made history this summer when they madr their first ever draft selection, Tij Iginla. <q>The @utahhockeyclub made history when they selected Tij Iginla as their first pick in franchise history! Take a look behind the scenes at the NHL Draft when Welcome to the NHL premieres tonight at 7pm ET/4pm PT on NHL Network!</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/NHLNetwork/status/1814782335306678536'> </a></blockquote></div> So the pre-season this year is full of exciting events. That doesn't mean the NHL couldn't make it a little bit shorter though, right?