The NHL is planning to announce its schedule for the 2012-13 season on Thursday morning. An official announcement hasn't been made yet, but according to the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Red Wings will open the 2012-13 season at home against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 12.

This should be an especially interesting season opener for a number of reasons. For starters, the Predators eliminated the Red Wings from the NHL playoffs last season, meaning there will be plenty of storylines surrounding that aspect of the season opener. What's more, if Ryan Suter opts to leave Nashville for Detroit like many expect him to do, then you could be looking at a situation where he is taking on his former team to open the season.

Of course, for any of this to even be possible, the NHL needs to start the 2012-13 season on time. With the collective bargaining agreement expiring in the summer, many believe another lockout could happen. It would be beyond moronic for the league and players to let it come to that given what a lockout did to the sport of hockey in 2004-05. A full season probably wouldn't be lost this time around, but any lockout would be bad news.

In any case, check back here for the full Red Wings schedule when it is announced on Thursday.

For more on the Red Wings, head over to Winging It In Motown. For more NHL coverage, be sure to visit SB Nation's NHL hub.