NBC Sports’ 2019-20 NHL television schedule, being released today, suggests a belief that the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and the New Jersey Devils have become better entertainment options.

The Nathan MacKinnon-led Avalanche will be featured 12 times, compared with six times last season. The Stars will appear six times, compared with once last season. The Devils, adding P.K. Subban, Russian standout Nikita Gusev and No. 1 draft pick Jack Hughes, have gone from one appearance to four.

“(The Avalanche) are a spectacular team to watch,” said Sam Flood, executive producer & president, Production, NBC & NBC Sports Network. “MacKinnon is the real deal. I thought he was as good as a player as stepped on the ice in the playoffs. The more we can expose him to a broader audience, the better it will be for the growth of the league.”

Flood said Devils general manager Ray Shero “had as good of an offseason as any GM in the league.”

“It’s going to give the Devils some buzz in the market,” Flood said.

The New York Rangers added premium free agent Artemi Panarin, defenseman Jacob Trouba, hot prospect Adam Fox and No. 2 draft pick Kaapo Kakko.

“They have some buzz in their own right,” Flood said.

A Rangers vs. Devils game on Oct. 17 will be one of the early featured games.

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With the Stars hosting the Nashville Predators in the Winter Classic in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, it makes sense to give them more games.

“We told the league we would like to see a little more Dallas,” Flood said. “We would like to make sure there was plenty of exposure, so those star players could get the spotlight put on them prior to the tilt on Jan. 1.”

The schedule calls for 109 games, although there will be more because NBC Sports traditionally adds some games late in the season. The Ottawa Senators are the only team not on the television schedule.

The season opens with a “Wednesday Night Hockey” doubleheader Oct. 2 (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN) with the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues playing the 2018 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.

The second game is a playoff rematch between the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET), a series that ended in controversy.

Sixty-six (60.5%) of the televised games will feature at least one Western Conference team.

Per NBC’s contract with the NHL, no NHL team will have its local broadcast rights usurped by NBC more than 23 times in a two-year span. That means top teams will officially have 11 or 12 appearances each season.

Some teams appear more times on the schedule. But some of those extra appearances on NBC or NBC Sports will be blacked out in those markets. For example, the Philadelphia Flyers appear 20 times, so eight or nine of those games will be blacked out in Philadelphia to allow for the Flyers’ local rights holders to televise those games.

Viewers will see NBC reporters Kathryn Tappan and Jeremy Roenick doing more interviews with players this season.

“We are getting real unique content,” Flood said. “Kathryn has a great ability to engage with players, good topics of conversations, have some fun.”

Roenick is a former NHL star who can connect with players on a different level.

“When the players get out of the mode of their x’s and o’s and pucks, their personalities start to come out,” Flood said.

Flood isn’t anticipating any changes in their on-air talent.

“When you have Doc Emrick, you have the No. 1 player in the game,” Flood said. “Our job is to get the puck on his stick in as many winning opportunities as possible.”

NBC schedule

All times p.m. ET

Oct 2: Washington at St. Louis, NBCSN, 8

Oct. 2: Vegas at San Jose, NBCSN, 10:30

Oct. 3: Minnesota at Nashville, NBCSN, 8

Oct. 8: San Jose at Nashville, NBCSN, 8

Oct. 9: New Jersey at Philadelphia, NBCSN, 7:30

Oct. 9: Los Angeles at Vancouver, NBCSN, 10

Oct. 15: Tampa Bay at Montreal, NBCSN, 7

Oct. 16: Colorado at Pittsburgh, NBCSN, 7

Oct. 16: Philadelphia at Edmonton, NBCSN, 9:30

Oct. 17: N.Y. Rangers at New Jersey, NBCSN, 7

Oct. 23: Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, NBCSN, 8

Oct. 26: St. Louis at Boston, NBCSN, 7

Oct. 26: Calgary at Winnipeg, NBCSN, 10

Oct. 29: Tampa Bay at N.Y. Rangers, NBCSN, 7:30

Oct. 30: Minnesota at St. Louis, NBCSN, 8

Nov. 5: Boston at Montreal, NBCSN, 7:30

Nov. 5: Chicago at San Jose, NBCSN, 10

Nov. 6: Detroit at N.Y. Rangers, NBCSN, 8

Nov. 8: Tampa Bay at Buffalo, NBCSN, 2

Nov. 12: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers, NBCSN, 7:30

Nov. 13: Washington at Philadelphia, NBCSN, 7:30

Nov. 13: Chicago at Vegas, NBCSN, 10

Nov. 19: Tampa Bay at St. Louis, NBCSN, 8

Nov. 19: Edmonton at San Jose, NBCSN, 10:30

Nov. 20: Washington at N.Y. Rangers, NBCSN, 8

Nov. 26: Dallas at Chicago, NBCSN, 8

Nov. 27: Philadelphia at Columbus, NBCSN, 7

Nov. 29: N.Y. Rangers at Boston, NBC, 1

Dec. 3: Tampa Bay at Nashville, NBCSN, 8

Dec. 4: St. Louis at Pittsburgh, NBCSN, 8

Dec. 10: St. Louis at Buffalo, NBCSN, 7:30

Dec. 11: Boston at Washington, NBCSN, 7

Dec. 11: Philadelphia at Colorado, NBCSN, 9:30

Dec. 17: Buffalo at Toronto, NBCSN, 7

Dec. 18: Colorado at Chicago, NBCSN, 8

Dec. 23: N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia, NBCSN, 7

Dec. 27: Minnesota at Colorado, NBCSN, 8

Jan. 1: Nashville at Dallas (Winter Classic), NBC, 1

Jan. 2: New Jersey at N.Y. Islanders, NBCSN, 7

Jan. 2: St. Louis at Colorado, NBCSN, 9:30

Jan. 5 Detroit at Chicago, NBCSN, 7:30

Jan. 5: Nashville at Anaheim, NBCSN, 10

Jan. 6: Edmonton at Toronto, NBCSN, 7

Jan. 7: Colorado at N.Y. Rangers, NBCSN, 7:30

Jan. 8: Washington at Philadelphia, NBCSN, 7:30

Jan. 8: Dallas at Los Angeles, NBCSN, 10

Jan. 9: Nashville at Chicago, NBCSN, 8:30

Jan. 14: Minnesota at Pittsburgh, NBCSN, 7

Jan. 15: Philadelphia at St. Louis, NBCSN, 8

Jan. 16: Tampa Bay at Minnesota, NBCSN, 8

Jan. 19: Boston at Pittsburgh, NBC, 12:30

Jan. 21: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, NBCSN, 7:30

Jan. 22: Detroit at Minnesota, NBCSN, 8

Jan. 24: All-Star Skills Competition, NBCSN, 8

Jan. 25: NHL All-Star Game, NBC, 8

Jan. 27: Tampa Bay at Dallas, NBCSN, 8

Jan. 29: Nashville at Washington, NBCSN, 7:30

Jan. 29: Tampa Bay at Los Angeles, NBCSN, 10

Jan. 30: Nashville at New Jersey, NBCSN, 7:30

Feb. 2: Pittsburgh at Washington, NBC, 12:30

Feb. 3: Philadelphia at Detroit, NBCSN, 7:30

Feb. 4: Chicago at Minnesota, NBCSN, 8

Feb. 5: Boston at Chicago, NBCSN, 8

Feb. 6: Detroit at Buffalo, NBCSN, 7

Feb. 6: San Jose at Edmonton, NBCSN, 9:30

Feb. 9: Boston at Detroit, NBC, 12:30

Feb. 9: Colorado at Minnesota, NBCSN, 7:30

Feb. 10: Tampa Bay at Columbus, NBCSN, 7

Feb. 11: Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders, NBCSN, 7

Feb. 12: Montreal at Boston, NBCSN, 7:30

Feb. 12: Calgary at Los Angeles, NBCSN, 10

Feb. 13: Philadelphia at Florida, NBCSN, 7

Feb. 15: Los Angeles at Colorado, NBC, 8

Feb. 16: Detroit at Pittsburgh, NBC, 12:30

Feb. 16: Boston at N.Y. Rangers, NBC, 3:30

Feb. 16: St. Louis at Nashville, NBCSN, 6

Feb. 18: Toronto at Pittsburgh, NBCSN, 7

Feb. 19: N.Y. Rangers at Chicago, NBCSN, 8

Feb. 23: Pittsburgh at Washington, NBC, noon

Feb. 23: St. Louis at Minnesota, NBCSN, 7:30

Feb. 23: Vegas at Anaheim, NBCSN, 10

Feb. 25: Chicago at St. Louis, NBCSN, 8

Feb. 26: Buffalo at Colorado, NBCSN, 8

Feb. 26: Pittsburgh at Los Angeles, NBCSN, 10:30

Feb. 27: Dallas at Boston, NBCSN, 7:30

March 1: Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers, NBC, noon

March 1: Washington at Minnesota NBCSN, 8

March 1: Los Angeles at Vegas, NBCSN, 10:30

March 3: Boston at Tampa Bay, NBCSN, 7:30

March 4: Philadelphia at Washington, NBCSN, 7

March 4: Anaheim at Colorado, NBCSN, 9:30

March 5: Carolina at Philadelphia, NBCSN, 7

March 8: St. Louis at Chicago, NBCSN, 7:30

March 8: Colorado at San Jose, NBCSN, 10

March 10: Boston at Philadelphia, NBCSN, 7

March 11: San Jose at Chicago, NBCSN, 8

March 15: Nashville at Minnesota, NBCSN, 7:30

March 17: St. Louis at Philadelphia, NBCSN, 7

March 18: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers, NBCSN, 7:30

March 18: Vegas at Arizona, NBCSN, 10

March 22: Washington at Pittsburgh, NBC, noon

March 22: Nashville at Chicago, NBCSN, 7

March 24: St. Louis at Washington, NBCSN, 7

March 25: Pittsburgh at Chicago, NBCSN, 8

March 25: Arizona at Vegas, NBCSN, 10:30

March 26: Philadelphia at Detroit, NBCSN, 7:30

March 29: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, NBC, noon

March 29: Minnesota at St. Louis, NBCSN, 7

March 29: Nashville at Colorado, NBCSN, 9:30

April 1: Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers, NBCSN, 7:30

April 1: Dallas at Anaheim, NBCSN, 10