Labor peace has been secured in the National Hockey League, at least for the foreseeable future. The league`s Board of Governors and the NHL Players` Association membership have formally ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). This new pact is set to commence on September 16, 2026, immediately following the expiration of the current agreement, and will remain in effect until September 15, 2030. This four-year extension ensures stability, a welcome development for a league that has experienced its share of labor disputes over the past few decades.
While extending the truce is paramount, the agreement introduces a series of significant changes that will reshape various aspects of the game, from scheduling and player contracts to salary cap management and player protocols. Let`s delve into the key alterations.
Adjusting the Calendar: The Shift to 84 Games
One of the headline changes is the expansion of the regular season schedule from 82 games to 84. This isn`t entirely new territory for the league, which briefly played an 84-game schedule in the mid-1990s. The primary motivation behind this move appears to be a desire to standardize and potentially balance the divisional schedules, ensuring teams play certain opponents a more consistent number of times. Additionally, these two extra regular-season games will replace two exhibition games, converting lower-revenue preseason contests into higher-stakes, higher-revenue regular-season matchups.
To mitigate concerns about increased player wear and tear, the new CBA compensates by shortening the preseason significantly. Teams will now play a maximum of four exhibition games. Furthermore, established players will see their training camp duration reduced, a point appealing to the players` association. Essentially, the league is trading low-stakes exhibition games for high-stakes regular-season ones, a logical business decision facilitated by bargaining.
Reshaping Contracts: Shorter Terms and No Deferred Pay
The structure of player contracts is also undergoing a notable transformation. The maximum term for a contract signed with a player`s current team is being reduced from eight years to seven. For players signing with a new club in free agency, the maximum term drops from seven years to six.
This adjustment has implications for both sides. Teams will have less exposure to lengthy contracts that may not age well, offering slightly more flexibility. For players, particularly those signing their second or third contracts, this means they will potentially reach unrestricted free agency a year sooner than under the current rules, offering earlier opportunities to test the open market during peak earning years.
Another significant change is the outright prohibition of deferred salary arrangements. Under the new CBA, players will be paid the entirety of their contract value within the stated term of the deal. This eliminates complex payment structures that some teams and players utilized, sometimes to spread cap hits or manage cash flow over years extending beyond the contract`s on-ice term. The stated aim is to simplify contracts and remove potential financial uncertainty for players.
Navigating the Cap: Addressing LTIR and Introducing Playoff Accounting
Perhaps the most anticipated and discussed changes revolve around the salary cap, specifically the use of Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) and its application during the playoffs. The league has long grappled with the perception, and sometimes reality, of teams leveraging LTIR creative accounting to essentially exceed the salary cap limit for the postseason roster, famously dubbed being “$18 million over the cap” by one frustrated opponent after a Stanley Cup defeat.
The new CBA takes steps to tighten these rules. When a player is placed on LTIR, teams can replace their salary cap hit, but the *average* salary of the replacement player(s) cannot exceed the injured player`s salary *and* cannot exceed the prior season`s average league salary. An exception exists if the team agrees the injured player will not return that season, allowing them to exceed these limits and keep the replacements, but at the cost of the original player`s potential return.
Beyond the regular season, a groundbreaking concept called “playoff cap counting” is being introduced, initially for the first two seasons (2026-28). For each playoff game, teams must submit a roster of 20 players (18 skaters, 2 goaltenders). The *averaged club salary* of *this specific game roster* must be below the team`s salary cap upper limit (accounting for various standard cap penalties). This means a team could technically have a very high *total* salary committed to its entire roster list, but the group actually dressing for a playoff game must be cap compliant. This directly addresses the issue of stacking playoff rosters with high-salary players returning from LTIR after game 82. After two years, either side can request discussions to modify these rules based on their effectiveness.
Enhancing Safety and Modernizing Player Life
Player safety sees a notable update with the implementation of mandatory neck protection. However, this mandate applies only to players with zero NHL experience entering the league *starting with the 2026-27 season*. These rookies will be required to wear cut-resistant neck guards with a minimum A5 protection score. Players with prior NHL experience are not required to adopt this standard, creating a grandfathered system. This change comes in the wake of tragic incidents and aligns the NHL with steps taken by other leagues and governing bodies.
In a lighter but perhaps more symbolic change, the previous mandatory player dress code has been eliminated. Gone are the days of the CBA explicitly requiring jackets, ties, and dress pants for team travel and games (unless specified otherwise by coaching staff). The new rule simply requires players to “dress in a manner that is consistent with contemporary fashion norms.” So, while bespoke suits and creative ensembles are still on the table, the strict, old-school mandate has been retired. One can assume this new standard still prohibits showing up in pajamas or, regrettably, Roman-style togas, despite how comfortable they might seem.
Other Notable Adjustments
The new agreement touches upon several other areas:
- Olympic Participation: The league and players have committed to participating in the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, though this commitment remains subject to satisfactory agreements being reached with the IIHF and IOC, a caveat that has proven problematic in the past.
- Salary Retention: While multi-team salary retention deals aren`t eliminated, a new rule prevents a player`s salary from being retained in a second transaction within 75 regular-season days of the first retention transaction. This adds a waiting period to these complex trades.
- Endorsements: Players are now permitted to enter into endorsement or sponsorship deals with alcoholic beverage companies, a restriction lifted from the previous CBA. However, endorsements for tobacco and cannabis products (including CBD) remain prohibited.
- Emergency Backup Goaltender (EBUG): The legendary, often-mythical EBUG position is now formalized. Teams can designate a full-time emergency goaltender who travels and practices with the club. There are specific eligibility rules to ensure these individuals aren`t recently active professional players from other teams or leagues.
- Minimum Salary: The league minimum salary is set to rise gradually from its current $775,000 to $1 million by the end of the new CBA in 2029-30, a significant increase though still modest compared to minimums in some other major North American sports leagues with different roster structures and cap dynamics.
Looking Ahead
This new CBA isn`t just about extending labor peace; it`s a document actively shaping the league`s structure and operational rules for the latter half of the decade. The changes to contracts and salary cap management directly address years of experience and, in some cases, perceived loopholes. The shifts in schedule and player protocols reflect evolving priorities around revenue and safety.
Given the timeline, this agreement also potentially marks the final CBA negotiated under Commissioner Gary Bettman, who has helmed the league since 1993. As rumors of his eventual retirement circulate, this deal sets the stage for his potential successor and the league`s direction in the 2030s. For now, the NHL has stability, and fans and clubs have a new rulebook to navigate.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth