2025-26 NLL schedule analysis: byes, breaks, rests and repeats
KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
The National Lacrosse League recently released their 2025-26 regular season schedule, their first games taking place on Friday, November 28 at the Tribute Communities Centre when the Oshawa FireWolves host the Toronto Rock.
The FireWolves, who made a surprising offseason move from Albany, NY to Oshawa, ON over the offseason, are now just about 67 miles away (straight-line distance) from the Rock’s refurbished home, the TD Coliseum in Hamilton, ON. Going the other direction, the Coliseum is even close to Buffalo’s KeyBank Center, leaving the Rock severely squeezed between the two cities.
Coming out of the pandemic, the NLL was stationed in four New York state-based cities: Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Uniondale (Long Island). The Rock, who had just moved homes from Toronto to Hamilton, were – as they had been since the 2004 season – Ontario’s only NLL team.
Just a few years later, you can almost fully flip that figure with the New York Riptide relocating to Ottawa after just three full (and one incomplete) seasons on Long Island, and now of course the FireWolves leaving Albany after four seasons playing out of MVP Arena. Both of those NY-state situations were second attempts in cities that had previously failed to support an NLL franchise, Ottawa and Hamilton also being take twos.
The Knighthawks, who appeared they may have been done playing in a half empty arena in Rochester after Terry Pegula opted to stop supporting two NLL franchises (he also of course owns New York’s other team and today’s greatest on and off-floor success story, the Buffalo Bandits), were heroically purchased by the Seneca Nation in early August to save the league from another relocation.
While the National Hockey League has been unwilling to add a third Ontario-based franchise to their 32-team roster, the NLL now has three: Hamilton, Ottawa and Oshawa. Of the various North American pro leagues the NLL is chasing for relevance or attempting to compete with as “the next major league” (NHL, MLB, NBA, MLS, CFL, AHL, WNBA, PWHL), pro box lacrosse and the Canadian Elite Basketball League, are the only ones operating in the GTHA region but not in Toronto’s downtown core.
Will it work, both short and more importantly long term? We’ll see. Oshawa, whose pro sports history is virtually non-existent, is of course a lacrosse hotbed in Ontario, one which was a relatively quick Go Train trip away from Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, which saw slumping ticket sales in the Rock’s dying days there. So, again, we’ll see.
Should any of the recent relocations or folded franchises, like we saw in Forth Worth last summer, come as a surprise? Not based on the league’s history.
In 1987, the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League, which would soon change its name to the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, then eventually transition into today’s National Lacrosse League, started with four franchises in Baltimore, Landover, East Rutherford and Philadelphia.
By year three, the MILL expanded into Detroit and Worcester, while also already getting into relocation too. Over the next decade, while they did have various success stories, they also saw a string of misses in a wide variety of markets, all leading to the same issues that still hinder the NLL today.
Commissioner Jim Jennings went heavy with a massive expansion push ahead of the 2002 season, adding teams in Montreal, Vancouver, back to East Rutherford, and Calgary, who remain the only franchise still alive and in the same city today.
After more relocations and teams ceasing operations, the NLL went into a reset and money-saving mode under commish George Daniel, who brought stability to the league’s shrinking stable. This era also saw the league fade from any form of serious mainstream sports media mentions, feeling forgotten in many (not all) markets most seasons.
Nike Sakiewicz (Photo: JTobiasPhoto)
Years later, the league hired Major League Soccer exec Nick Sakiewicz, who like Jennings, albeit with a much bigger budget, went all in on expansion. Mo money, mo problems, as can often be the case.
Today, Commissioner Brett Frood seems to be serving in very much the George Daniel role, looking to salvage where he can and operating within a budget that must be a fraction of what the previous guy was given. Frood is trying desperately to strength current markets and bring much needed stability to the NLL, which has been no easy task what with multiple relocations, a franchise folding, CBA negotiations, and much more less public problems to rectify.
What happens next? Nearly four decades of league history tells us you should probably buckle up for a bit longer.
How will the teams perform on the floor this year, if of course a new collective bargaining agreement is reached in time? Well…
NLL Commissioner Brett Frood and Buffalo Bandits Captain Steve Priolo (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
As The Lax Mag does every preseason, below is our in-depth analysis of every team’s upcoming regular season schedule, where we delve deeply into a variety of categories that may not always be apparent when leafing through the league’s schedule.
Bye weeks – weekends teams don’t play
Longest break – the longest single stretch of no game play
Average rest – how many days on average each team gets to recuperate between games
Longest home gap – the longest single stretch of no game play at home
Average home gap – how many days on average teams don’t play at home
2 in 1 – how many weekends teams play twice in the same weekend
vs. non-playoff teams – how many games each team gets against teams that failed to make last year’s playoffs, which includes (we know, all of them are much improved and will all unquestionably make the playoffs or win it all this year, but still…): Ottawa, Colorado, Oshawa, Philadelphia, Toronto and Las Vegas. Of note, Ottawa (previously New York) and Las Vegas are the only two franchises in the NLL never to have qualified for a single postseason over a combined seven completed seasons.
Opposing “Conference” – removed a few seasons ago when the NLL went to Unified Standings, based on travel (yes, we realize not all players live in market) and an overall balance (many complained the East was a tougher division to play in prior to ditching divisions), we re-added it this year…West: Vancouver, Calgary, Saskatchewan, San Diego, Las Vegas, Colorado and East: Toronto, Oshawa, Ottawa, Halifax, Buffalo, Rochester, Philadelphia, Georgia
x2 – each team plays every team in the league once (13 games), then five teams an additional time (previously described as flex games by the league) “…that preserve established rivalries and fan interest, showcase games with impactful storylines, and highlight star player matchups”
Friday/Saturday/Sunday – 62% of the season will be played on Saturdays, 29% on Fridays and 9% on Sundays, which is almost exactly the same as last year.
For the third straight season, the NLL has avoided any Monday or Thursday night affairs, two non-weekend days that have traditionally not done well in the stands (among other places). With that said, during the FireWolves opening media address in Oshawa, Frood said that he’d like to eventually expand team’s schedules past 18 games (the norm since 2014). While you can probably still squeeze in a few more dates into their Friday-Sunday schedule at most venues, eventually games will need to be played during weekdays to coordinate say a 24-game season.
Since The Lax Mag started reviewing the NLL regular season schedule, you could argue that this year’s schedule is about as balanced and tight as we’ve seen for several seasons. Below, see our breakdown of all 14 NLL teams and how their regular season sked stacks up against the rest of the league.
League Averages
Bye weeks: 4
Longest break: 15
Average rest: 7.99
Longest home gap: 27
Avg. home gap: 15.55
2 in 1: 1
vs. non-playoff teams: 8
Opp. conf.: 11
Friday games: 9
Saturday games: 8
Sunday games: 1
KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
Buffalo Bandits
Bye weeks: 4
Longest break: 15
Average rest: 8.24
Longest home gap: 22
Avg. home gap: 16.63
2 in 1: 1
vs. non-playoff teams: 7
Opp. Conf.: 9
x2: COL, HFX, ROC, SK, VAN
Friday games: 4
Saturday games: 13
Sunday games: 1
The Bandits have an average amount of bye weekends, but most of them happen during the first half of the season, which for a team whose players play a ton of lacrosse over the summer, will likely be pretty beneficial. As we pointed out on Instagram earlier this week, this will be the first time ever that the Bandits will not host the Toronto Rock at home during a regular season, easily one of if not the most electric rivalries in pro lacrosse today. The teams will play just once this year, their lowest head-to-head sked since 2002. While most of their schedule would be considered somewhat average versus the rest of the league, their flex games are arguably the toughest, four of five of those games against 2025 playoff qualifiers, three of which went to the semis or final.
Calgary Roughnecks
Bye weeks: 4
Longest break: 15
Average rest: 7.82
Longest home gap: 21
Avg. home gap: 13.88
2 in 1: 1
vs. non-playoff teams: 9
Opp. Conf.: 11
x2: COL, GA, OSH, OTT, SK
Friday games: 3
Saturday games: 12
Sunday games: 3
No team sees fewer playoff qualifiers from last season than the Roughnecks, Saskatchewan and Georgia their only flex foes that went past the regular season last year. While their average rest days are slightly below the league average, everything else on Calgary’s schedule is fairly favourable. To not have a second game against Vancouver, who are not only next-door neighbours but also have plenty of familiar faces, feels like a flex-game fail. The Roughnecks will again host back-to-back home dates in a single weekend, last year playing Friday & Saturday at the Saddledome versus Saskatchewan & Las Vegas respectively. Those two games were two of only three home dates the team failed to draw double digits at the turnstile. This year, on the exact same Valentine’s Day weekend, they’ll host Philadelphia & Georgia (the other home opponent that drew under 10K in 2025), but this time on the Saturday & Sunday.
Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado (Photo: Jack Dempsey)
Colorado Mammoth
Bye weeks: 4
Longest break: 14
Average rest: 8.24
Longest home gap: 21
Avg. home gap: 12.13
2 in 1: 1
vs. non-playoff teams: 7
Opp. Conf.: 11
x2: BUF, CAL, GA, LV, TOR
Friday games: 6
Saturday games: 12
Sunday games: 0
The often-injured Mammoth have an above average amount of rest days, are only away from Ball Arena for a max 21 days, have the smallest home game gap average in the league, and get just one double shot (which includes a game against the seemingly always near last Las Vegas). While they do get the Bandits twice for a second straight season (went 0-2 vs. Buffalo last year), their flex games are mild-to-medium otherwise. Plus, they’re one of three teams not to have to play a single Sunday in 2026 (they had three last year). The Mammoth most definitely have one of this year’s more attractive season-long skeds, again.
Georgia Swarm
Bye weeks: 5
Longest break: 15
Average rest: 8.29
Longest home gap: 28
Avg. home gap: 15.75
2 in 1: 2
vs. non-playoff teams: 8
Opp. Conf.: 8
x2: CAL, COL, HFX, PHI, ROC
Friday games: 3
Saturday games: 12
Sunday games: 3
Thanks to a co-league-leading five bye weeks, which includes no-gameplay stretches of 15 days and 14 days three times (maybe the boys could start up a virtual book club), the Swarm also co-lead the league with the highest rest days this year. If they’re dealing with a ton of IR issues, the above is great, but if they aren’t, that many stagnant stretches often makes it hard to build any meaningful momentum throughout the season. Although we’ve factored it in as a normal home date for our data dicing, Georgia has lost one home game with a neutral site clash scheduled against the Calgary Roughnecks on January 16 (location still TBA). From November 29 to February 6, the Swarm will have played just two home games in Duluth, and have a schedule slammed with games at Gas South Arena from Week 14 onward. The Swarm, who geographically are really nowhere near another franchise (the 12ish hour drive to Philly is their nearest neighbour), might have 2026’s most challenging schedule.
Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)
Halifax Thunderbirds
Bye weeks: 4
Longest break: 15
Average rest: 7.88
Longest home gap: 22
Avg. home gap: 16.75
2 in 1: 1
vs. non-playoff teams: 8
Opp. Conf.: 6
x2: BUF, GA, OSH, OTT, SK
Friday games: 8
Saturday games: 10
Sunday games: 0
The Thunderbirds are either aligned with the league average or find themselves in a more positive position than the rest of the NLL in virtually every schedule category we track. This will be the first year ever that the Thunderbirds/Knighthawks 1.0 don’t dance at least twice with the Toronto Rock during the regular season (one of today’s top rivalries), the league also removing Rochester from their flex pack, which is a bit of a bummer. The addition of Buffalo to their multi matches this year might be the lone negative when analyzing the T-Birds’ schedule, which also sees them open and close their season at home in Halifax.
Las Vegas Desert Dogs
Bye weeks: 4
Longest break: 14
Average rest: 7.41
Longest home gap: 21
Avg. home gap: 14.88
2 in 1: 1
vs. non-playoff teams: 7
Opp. Conf.: 9
x2: COL, PHI, ROC, SD, VAN
Friday games: 5
Saturday games: 12
Sunday games: 1
Their season sked seems extremely average, but a few things jump out. Two of their four bye weeks happen in the first two weeks of the season (which Rochester and Philadelphia also got), but what’s far more interesting is their flex games. In those games, Vegas clashes with teams, who at least in more recent seasons, have not known their playoff fate until the final few weeks if not days of the regular season. The Desert Dogs are one of only two franchises in the league right now never to have played in the playoffs. If they hope to change that this year, those flex games most definitely feel like they’ll be insanely important to their postseason lives, tiebreakers too. In fact, of their seven final games of the season, six are against teams in their x2s listed above, including a double header in the final weekend of the season against San Diego.
Lee's Family Forum, Henderson, Nevada
Oshawa FireWolves
Bye weeks: 3
Longest break: 15
Average rest: 8.29
Longest home gap: 35
Avg. home gap: 17.63
2 in 1: 0
vs. non-playoff teams: 8
Opp. conf.: 7
x2: CAL, HFX, OTT, PHI, TOR
Friday games: 4
Saturday games: 13
Sunday games: 1
The FireWolves will play four home games at the Tribute Communities Centre over the first seven weeks of the season, that fastest (well, co-fastest, the Black Bears match that) to get that many home dates done and dusted this year. After seven games last year, the FireWolves were just 2-6, a start that ultimately cost them from making the playoffs. Their sked is also back loaded with a lot of home games (four of their last five are in Oshawa), leaving a 35-day home date gap in the middle of the season. This year, they FireWolves have a league low three bye weekends, are one of only three teams not forced to play twice in a single weekend, have above average rest days, have minimal cross-country travel in comparison to other “East” teams, and co-lead the league with 13 Saturdays, usually the preferred playing night for most players. Outside of that massive mid-season home gap, Oshawa has a pretty desirable sked this season.
Ottawa Black Bears
Bye weeks: 3
Longest break: 14
Average rest: 8.24
Longest home gap: 28
Avg. home gap: 16.50
2 in 1: 0
vs. non-playoff teams: 7
Opp. conf.: 8
x2: CAL, HFX, OSH, TOR, VAN
Friday games: 6
Saturday games: 12
Sunday games: 0
Their schedule has a lot of the same positives as Oshawa above: no double shots, above average rest days, Saturday heavy, and actually no Sundays either (one of only three teams to avoid Sundays all season). Outside of playing three consecutive weekends away through most of March, their schedule is pretty balanced between home and away matches too. Their flex games are all against Canadian clubs, which should help them rebuild rivalries after relocating from Long Island two seasons ago. After starting last year 4-2, Ottawa went on to record one of the worst records anywhere in the NLL (4-8). Ottawa (and previously New York) and Las Vegas are the only two teams in the league today never to have qualified for the playoffs. To say 2026 is a critical year for the club, would be putting it mildly.
Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata, Ontario (Photo: Andrea Cardin/Freestyle Photography)
Philadelphia Wings
Bye weeks: 5
Longest break: 14
Average rest: 7.41
Longest home gap: 30
Avg. home gap: 14.88
2 in 1: 2
vs. non-playoff teams: 7
Opp. conf.: 7
x2: GA, LV, OSH, ROC, SD
Friday games: 6
Saturday games: 9
Sunday games: 3
They’ve made the playoffs just once since returning to the NLL, own a disappointing 43-61 regular season record since their restart, and have a weaker W-L at home (Philly used to be one of the toughest places to play) than they do on the road. A .500 team when the league was still divisional, few teams have fallen as hard as Philadelphia since the NLL went to Unified Standings. This year’s schedule doesn’t really help a ton. No games over the first two weeks of the season, a 30-day gap between home dates through late July into late February, plus two double shots. They do get Georgia twice, however, one of the rare playoff regulars they’ve had consistent success against. The Wings are 8-1 versus the Swarm over their last nine, including sweeping last year’s late pair against them. Like we just said in Ottawa’s spot above, “To say 2026 is a critical year for the club, would be putting it mildly.”
Rochester Knighthawks
Bye weeks: 5
Longest break: 14
Average rest: 7.41
Longest home gap: 29
Avg. home gap: 15.00
2 in 1: 2
vs. non-playoff teams: 8
Opp. conf.: 9
x2: BUF, GA, LV, PHI, VAN
Friday games: 1
Saturday games: 13
Sunday games: 4
Five byes, almost a full month away from home at a critical stage of their season, the lowest rest days in the league (tied with Philadelphia and Las Vegas), and four Sundays kinda sucks for them. Vancouver twice, a team they’ve played all of three times during the regular season, is a bit strange and not exactly ideal based on how well the Warriors played out last year. In 2025, we felt Rochester had arguably the most accommodating schedule across the league, but a season later and it’s kinda swung the other way.
Pechanga Arena, San Deigo, California (Photo: Alexis Goeller)
San Diego Seals
Bye weeks: 5
Longest break: 20
Average rest: 8.24
Longest home gap: 27
Avg. home gap: 15.50
2 in 1: 2
vs. non-playoff teams: 9
Opp. conf.: 10
x2: LV, PHI, SK, TOR, VAN
Friday games: 6
Saturday games: 9
Sunday games: 3
While losing Buffalo from their flex was good, San Diego will still see the other three semi-finalists from last year’s playoffs two times each, plus get the Rock back in their flex mix, a team they’ve beaten just once in five heated attempts. With that said, the Seals will see last year’s playoff qualifiers nine times, tied with Calgary for the fewest games against 2025 postseason teams. They’ll have limited home dates late, playing at Pechanga just twice from Week 15 onward (they owned one last year’s worst away records). Those five byes and three Sundays also aren’t overly ideal either. San Diego, who just barely slipped into last year’s playoffs, got handed one of 2026’s toughest schedules.
Saskatchewan Rush
Bye weeks: 4
Longest break: 14
Average rest: 7.82
Longest home gap: 28
Avg. home gap: 16.63
2 in 1: 1
vs. non-playoff teams: 7
Opp. conf.: 11
x2: BUF, CAL, HFX, SD, TOR
Friday games: 6
Saturday games: 11
Sunday games: 1
The Rush may have the toughest flex-game pack this year, four of those five extra games against last year’s playoff qualifiers, plus a Toronto team that most feel will insert themselves right back into Cup contention. A lot of byes, a low rest day average, and an undesirable home date gap of 28 days early in the new year and then again through February into mid-March makes Saskatchewan’s regular season tougher than most. Even though their away record (7-2) was slightly stronger than their home W-L (6-3) last year, closing out the season with three straight at Sasktel (vs. Buffalo, Colorado and Toronto) is one of the few positives when reviewing the Rush’s regular season.
SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Toronto Rock
Bye weeks: 3
Longest break: 15
Average rest: 8.29
Longest home gap: 28
Avg. home gap: 14.00
2 in 1: 0
vs. non-playoff teams: 8
Opp. conf.: 9
x2: COL, OSH, OTT, SD, SK
Friday games: 7
Saturday games: 10
Sunday games: 1
Low byes, zero double shots, and a flex schedule that features three non-playoff teams from last year has Toronto with one of the more enviable schedules this season. One negative, and it’s kind of a big one, is that after Week 14, the Rock will only play two times at home, and will see arguably their stiffest stretch of competition then too. As we highlighted on Instagram earlier this week, Toronto avoids playing a regular season game in Banditland for the first time in franchise history, and gets the three-peaters just once in a season for the first time since 2002. Over their last 13 regular season and playoff games, the Rock are 1-12 against the Buffalo Bandits.
Vancouver Warriors
Bye weeks: 4
Longest break: 21
Average rest: 8.24
Longest home gap: 34
Avg. home gap: 17.50
2 in 1: 1
vs. non-playoff teams: 8
Opp. conf.: 11
x2: BUF, LV, OTT, ROC, SD
Friday games: 9
Saturday games: 8
Sunday games: 1
Outside of a long-ass 34 stretch of no home games and forced to play Buffalo twice in their flex (they were 1-0 vs. the Bandits during 2025’s regular season, but were eliminated by Buffalo in the playoffs), Vancouver’s schedule really isn’t too bad. It’s a very balanced sked that sees them play at home in their first two games and end with two at home too. They also won’t see a 2025 playoff team until Week 7, when the Warriors are in Calgary to face the Roughnecks, which will be Christian Del Bianco’s likely first trip back to the Saddledome.
Rogers Arena, Vancouver British Columbia (Photo: Jordan Leigh)