The NHL had 32 teams during the 2024–25 season. Those clubs were divided into four divisions across the Eastern and Western Conferences, creating the league’s modern competitive structure after decades of expansion and relocation.
The 32-team total was reached when the Seattle Kraken began play in 2021–22 as the league’s newest franchise. Seattle joined the Vegas Golden Knights, who had entered the NHL in 2017–18. The league had previously remained at 30 teams for many years before those two expansion clubs increased the total.
Each team played an 82-game regular season in 2024–25, producing 1,312 regular-season games across the league. The schedule included division and conference matchups as well as games against teams from the opposite conference. At season’s end, 16 teams qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The number can become time-sensitive because professional leagues expand, relocate, or realign. Thirty-two was the correct figure for the specified 2024–25 season, rather than a claim that the NHL will always have that many teams. The league’s 32 clubs represented the established structure following Seattle’s arrival.