NHL takes direct control of local broadcasts for four teams after regional network shutdown

The NHL announced that the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues will have their local broadcasts produced and distributed by NHL Productions when the season begins in late September, according to ESPN's reporting. The move marks a direct intervention by the league into what has traditionally been a team or local partnership function.

The decision follows the collapse of Main Street Sports, which operated 15 regional channels under the FanDuel Sports Network brand and ceased operations at the conclusion of the past season. Seven franchises had agreements with Main Street Sports, leaving the four teams now under NHL Productions suddenly without local broadcast partners ahead of the upcoming season.

NHL Productions plans to upgrade the quality of local broadcasts with more cameras and enhanced replay capabilities as well as graphics that would give the games the feel of a national network broadcast. Local announcers fans are used to hearing are expected to remain a constant. The NHL also hired Rob McGlarry as general manager of local media to oversee the expansion.

Other teams have found different solutions. The Detroit Red Wings will have their games on Detroit SportsNet, run by team owners Ilitch Sports and Entertainment. The Los Angeles Kings will be on Angels Broadcast TV, which used to be FanDuel Sports Network West. The Nashville Predators reached an agreement with Scripps Sports at the end of last season.

The league said additional clubs might be added before the start of the season. The Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars were listed as possibilities after the Victory+ streaming service missed rights payments, according to ESPN's reporting. Steve Mayer, NHL president of events and content, stated: "I think we've been looking at this day for a long time. If something happened in the middle of last season, we would've been quickly able to mobilize and not miss a beat."

The move aligns with similar actions across professional sports. MLB started producing local broadcasts in 2023 and is doing 15 teams this season, per ESPN. The NBA expects to have a centralized streaming hub ready for the 2027-28 season. David Proper, NHL chief media officer and senior EVP, acknowledged the broader industry pressure: "It's a crazy time in the media space. When you have this kind of sea change as to what's going on at one time while the industry itself is changing, it's a lot to address in a relatively short offseason."