Both the NHL Board of Governors and the NHLPA membership have approved a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). This new agreement will extend labor peace until the conclusion of the 2029-30 season, following the current CBA which expires after the 2025-26 season.
While maintaining labor stability is crucial for a league that has faced several work stoppages in recent decades, the new agreement also introduces several notable changes for fans.
When Does the New CBA Take Effect?
The new NHL CBA is scheduled to commence on September 16, 2026, and will remain in force until September 15, 2030. Factoring in the upcoming season, this provides the NHL with five consecutive years of labor peace. This extension marks the quickest agreement reached by both parties during Gary Bettman`s tenure as commissioner. It also represents the first significant negotiation led by Marty Walsh, who became the NHLPA executive director in 2023.
What Are the Key Differences in the New CBA?
Several significant changes are introduced in the new CBA. Firstly, the regular season schedule will be adjusted to 84 games, accompanied by a shorter preseason (limited to a maximum of four games). This change allows each team to play every other opponent, with divisional rivals facing each other four times every other season. Contract lengths will also change; the maximum term will decrease from eight years to seven years for re-signing with the same team, and from seven years to six years for signing with a new team in free agency. Deferred salaries will be eliminated. Additionally, a new, permanent role for a team`s full-time Emergency Backup Goaltender (EBUG) will be established, allowing this player to practice and travel with the team. The CBA also includes revised provisions regarding the use of Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR), particularly concerning players returning from LTIR for the postseason.
What Is the Rationale for an 84-Game Season?
The new CBA increases the regular season to 84 games and limits the preseason to four games per team. Players with at least 100 NHL games played are restricted to a maximum of two exhibition games. Veterans who played at least 50 games the prior season will have training camps capped at 13 days. The NHL previously had an 84-game season from 1992 to 1994, which included two neutral-site games per team. Since 1995-96, full seasons have been 82 games. The league has considered adding two regular-season games for several years while shortening the preseason, but the current CBA required negotiations for this expansion. The increase addresses scheduling imbalances: currently, teams play 26 divisional games (3 or 4 vs. each opponent), 24 conference games (3 vs. non-divisional), and 32 inter-conference games (2 vs. each opponent). Adding two games allows for a more consistent divisional schedule and replaces less profitable exhibition games with revenue-generating regular-season contests. A shorter preseason also enables a slightly earlier start to the regular season, potentially in late September. While there are concerns about increased player fatigue with two extra games given the current season and playoff demands, the reduced training camp and exhibition schedule was favorable to the players, who ultimately agreed to the 84-game format.
How Do the New Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) Rules Function?
Teams using Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) to free up salary cap space late in the season, only for the injured player to return for the first playoff game after missing the final regular season game, became a notable tactic starting in 2015. The Chicago Blackhawks were early pioneers, utilizing Patrick Kane`s LTIR slot to acquire players at the trade deadline before Kane returned for the playoffs and won the Conn Smythe Trophy during their Stanley Cup run. Other teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning (Nikita Kucherov, 2020-21), Vegas Golden Knights (Mark Stone, 2023), and Florida Panthers (Matthew Tkachuk, 2024) have similarly benefited from using LTIR on their path to Stanley Cups. While the NHL has investigated these instances without finding grounds for action, the league is currently reviewing the Edmonton Oilers` use of LTIR for Evander Kane, who missed the regular season before returning for the recent playoffs. Last year, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly indicated that if a majority of general managers favored a change, the league would consider it. Some players also expressed dissatisfaction with this salary cap loophole. NHLPA Assistant Executive Director Ron Hainsey mentioned during the Stanley Cup Final that players have voiced concerns, both publicly and privately, about the potential misuse of LTIR. He stated that the NHL made closing this loophole a priority in the labor negotiations. Under the new CBA, the combined salary and bonuses of players acquired to replace an LTIR player cannot surpass the salary and bonuses of the player they are replacing. For instance, in 2024, Vegas placed Mark Stone ($9.5 million salary) on LTIR due to a lacerated spleen. They then added $10.8 million in salary via Noah Hanifin, Tomas Hertl, and Anthony Mantha before the trade deadline. However, a key revision in the new LTIR rule dictates that the average salary amounts of replacement players cannot exceed the average league salary from the prior season (e.g., approximately $3.8 million based on last season). The CBA does allow exceptions with joint NHL/NHLPA approval, dependent on the projected length of the injured player`s absence. Teams can exceed the “average amounts” limit in such cases, but the injured player would then be ineligible to return for that season or the playoffs. To further deter teams from exploiting LTIR to exceed the cap during the Stanley Cup playoffs, the NHL and NHLPA have implemented “playoff cap counting” for the first time.
What Is `Playoff Cap Counting` and How Will It Impact the Postseason?
In the 2021 Eastern Conference playoffs, after losing to Tampa Bay, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton notably commented that his team was defeated by a Lightning squad supposedly “$18 million over the cap.” This referred to Tampa Bay`s use of Nikita Kucherov`s LTIR space during the regular season before he returned for the playoffs. Kucherov later famously wore a shirt reading “$18M OVER THE CAP” during the team`s Stanley Cup celebration. To curb this “creative accounting” and complement the new regular-season LTIR rules, the NHL and NHLPA have introduced “playoff cap counting” in the new CBA. For each playoff game, teams must submit a roster of 18 skaters and two goaltenders to NHL Central Registry by 3 p.m. local time or five hours before the game, whichever is earlier. The average salary and bonuses of the players on this specific game roster will be calculated (the “playoff playing roster averaged club salary”) and must be below the team`s individual “upper limit.” This “upper limit” is the league-wide salary cap ceiling minus any team-specific cap hits like buyouts, retained salary, demoted one-way contracts, recapture penalties, or grievance settlements. Crucially, the cap compliance applies only to the players dressed for that particular playoff game. As one agent explained, a team`s total roster salary can exceed the cap once the playoffs begin, but the 20 players participating in any single game must be cap-compliant based on their average annual values. These new rules will apply for the first two seasons of the new CBA (2026-28). Following this period, either the NHL or the NHLPA can request to reopen this specific section for “good faith discussions” on potential modifications if concerns persist. If these discussions do not lead to a resolution, the “playoff cap counting” rules will continue for the 2028-29 season.
Does the New NHL CBA Mandate Neck Guards?
Following the tragic death of Adam Johnson in October 2023, professional hockey leagues globally have revised player safety equipment standards. Johnson, playing for the Nottingham Panthers in the UK, died from a neck laceration caused by a skate blade. In response, the AHL mandated cut-resistant neck protection for all players and officials starting in the 2024-25 season. The IIHF adopted similar rules for international competitions, and USA Hockey now requires players under 18 to wear them. The new NHL CBA also incorporates updated neck protection standards. Starting with the 2026-27 season, players entering the league with no prior NHL experience must wear “cut-resistant protection on the neck area with a minimum cut level protection score of A5.” The ANSI/ISEA 105-2016 standard grades cut resistance from A1 to A9, and players are advised to choose protection exceeding the minimum A5 level. Players who had NHL experience before the 2026-27 season will not be required to wear neck protection.
What Is the New Player Dress Code?
The NHL and NHLPA have agreed that teams are no longer allowed to “propose any rules concerning player dress code.” Previously, the NHL was unique among major North American men`s professional sports leagues in having a specific dress code mandated by the CBA. Rule 5 of Exhibit 14 stated players were required to wear “jackets, ties and dress pants” to all games and while traveling, unless exempted by the coach or GM. This rule has been removed in the new CBA. The only remaining requirement is that players must “dress in a manner that is consistent with contemporary fashion norms.” This means no more mandatory suits, but also probably no outlandish outfits either.
Does the New CBA Cover the Olympics Beyond 2026?
Yes. The NHL and NHLPA have included a commitment to participate in the 2030 Winter Olympics, which are planned for the French Alps. However, as is customary, this participation is conditional upon “negotiation of terms acceptable to each of the NHL, NHLPA, IIHF and/or IOC.” As demonstrated by the 2022 Beijing Games, simply having this commitment in the CBA does not guarantee that NHL players will actually participate in the Olympics.
Did the NHL End Three-Team Salary Retention Trades?
The practice of involving a third team in salary retention trades became common, particularly around the NHL trade deadline. In these deals, one team retains part of a player`s salary to help another team fit them under the salary cap. To facilitate larger trades, a third team would join the transaction to retain an additional portion of the salary. A recent example involved the Tampa Bay Lightning acquiring Yanni Gourde from the Seattle Kraken. Gourde`s cap hit was $5,166,667. Seattle traded him to Detroit, retaining $2,583,334. Detroit then retained another $1,291,667 of Gourde`s salary before trading him to Tampa Bay for a fourth-round pick, making his cap hit manageable for the Lightning. While multi-team salary retention is still permitted, the new CBA introduces a mandatory waiting period before a player`s salary can be retained in a second transaction. A subsequent salary retention cannot occur within 75 regular-season days of the initial retention transaction. Days when the regular season is not in progress do not count towards the 75-day period, meaning this restriction could potentially extend across multiple seasons.
Can Players Now Endorse Alcoholic Beverages?
Yes. The previous CBA explicitly prohibited players from endorsing or sponsoring alcoholic beverages. This restriction has been removed in the new agreement. Players are still forbidden from endorsing tobacco products, a rule carried over from the prior CBA. Additionally, the new CBA prohibits endorsement or sponsorship of “cannabis (including CBD) products.”
What Are the New Parameters for the Emergency Goaltender Replacement (EBUG)?
The NHL is formalizing the role of the Emergency Backup Goaltender (EBUG). Historically, this position was filled by a local goaltender present at the arena, ready to play for either team if both of their goalies became unavailable. It was essentially a “guy off the street” hoping for a chance to play in the NHL net. The league has now granted permanent status to the EBUG role. This designated player will practice and travel with a single team. However, specific criteria govern who can serve in this role under the new CBA. An individual designated as a team`s EBUG cannot have previously played an NHL game under an NHL contract, appeared in more than 80 professional hockey games, been active in professional hockey within the last three seasons, have contractual obligations preventing them from serving as EBUG, or be on an NHL club`s reserve or restricted free agent list. Teams must designate one EBUG 48 hours before the start of the regular season. During the season, teams can designate or change their EBUG up to 24 hours before a game.
What Is the Change Regarding Deferred Salaries?
The new CBA will ban teams from arranging deferred salary payments. This means players will receive their full contracted salary within the actual term of the agreement. The aim is to reduce financial uncertainty for players and simplify contract structures with teams. In the past, some players structured contracts with large upfront signing bonuses or significant payouts at the end, which could help lower the average annual value (cap hit) over the contract`s duration. Under the new CBA, these types of deferred payment tactics will no longer be available options for teams or players during negotiations.
What Are the Changes to Contract Lengths?
Under the new CBA, the maximum contract length for a player signing an extension with their current team will decrease from eight years to seven years. For a player signing with a new team in free agency, the maximum term will be reduced from seven years to six years. For instance, a player finishing a three-year entry-level contract can now sign a maximum seven-year extension with their existing team, meaning they will reach unrestricted free agency earlier than permitted under the current agreement. This change could be advantageous for teams burdened by long-term contracts that haven`t performed as expected, as they will be committed for a shorter duration. For players, it offers the potential to reach free agency sooner and explore new opportunities, potentially after a maximum of 10 seasons with one club, compared to 11 under the previous rules.
What Is the New League Minimum Salary and How Does It Compare to Other Major Leagues?
The new CBA will gradually increase the NHL minimum salary from $775,000 to $1 million over the course of the four-year agreement. While incremental, this represents a notable increase within a league structure where the salary cap presents different challenges compared to other major sports. For context, the NHL salary cap is projected to reach $95.5 million in 2025-26. To compare minimum salaries across the “Big 4” leagues upon the completion of this NHL CBA: The NBA minimum for a rookie in 2025-26 is $1.4 million, with players having over 10 years of service potentially earning over $3.997 million on a roster limited to 15 players. The NFL, with its 53-player rosters, sets the minimum for rookies at $840,000 in 2025, while veterans with over seven years can earn $1.255 million. MLB`s current CBA, expiring after the 2026 season, has a minimum salary of $760,000 for 2025, rising to $780,000 in 2026.
Could This Be Gary Bettman`s Final CBA as Commissioner?
It is possible. A report from The Athletic in January indicated that the board of governors has started planning for Bettman`s eventual retirement “in a couple of years” and initiated the search for a successor. Bettman has served as the NHL`s first commissioner since 1993, making him the longest-tenured commissioner among the four major North American men`s professional sports leagues. He is also the oldest, having turned 73 in June, whereas his counterparts (Roger Goodell, Rob Manfred, Adam Silver) are in their early to mid-60s. However, this does not preclude him from remaining in his position. Historically, commissioners in these leagues have continued in their roles into their 70s. For example, Ford Frick, MLB`s third commissioner, retired at 71 in 1965. More recent examples include former NBA commissioner David Stern retiring at 71 in 2014, and former MLB commissioner Bud Selig stepping down at 80 in 2015.
Gareth Tenby 
Duncan Priestley