The NHL and NHLPA are finalizing a four-year collective bargaining agreement extension that they plan to announce before Friday’s draft in Los Angeles, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported.
The current CBA expires next September. The extension would provide labor peace through 2030.
This represents the earliest agreement reached during Gary Bettman’s 32-year tenure as commissioner.
Schedule Changes Coming in 2026-27
The updated CBA will expand the regular season to 84 games starting in 2026-27. That’s two more games than the current 82-game schedule.
The longer season means shorter preseasons. Teams will play a minimum of four preseason games instead of the current requirement.
Veterans with 100 or more NHL games can only suit up for two preseason contests maximum.
Contract Length Restrictions
Player contracts will face new length limits under the agreement. Teams can sign their own pending unrestricted free agents to seven-year extensions. That’s down from the current eight-year maximum.
Unrestricted free agents signing with new teams will be limited to six-year deals. The current limit is seven years.
Playoff Salary Cap Implementation
The league will introduce a playoff salary cap for the first time under this CBA. This closes the controversial long-term injured reserve loophole that teams have exploited.
Currently, the salary cap doesn’t apply during the postseason. Teams have placed healthy players on LTIR during the regular season, then activated them for playoff runs while exceeding the cap.
Full details of the new playoff cap system aren’t available yet.
Additional Changes
Deferred salary contracts designed to lower cap hits will be prohibited under the new agreement.
The league is also eliminating the player dress code requirements before and after games.
Each team will have permanent emergency backup goalies available. These EBUGs have previously been called in on short notice when teams face goaltender emergencies.
The announcement is expected before the draft begins Friday in Los Angeles.
