The NHL and NHL Players’ Association announced that they have to agreed a new four-year collective-bargaining agreement on June 27.
It will take effect after the current one expires in September 2026 and run through 2030. The memorandum of understanding still needs to be ratified by the owners and the players.
‘We can all look forward to at least five years more of labor peace,’ said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who didn’t reveal details out of respect for the ratification process.
The two sides previously announced a significant jump in the the salary cap over the next three seasons.
Here are the key details of the collective bargaining agreement, per reports, and what it means:
84-game regular season
It’s currently at 82 games and will change with the 2026-27 season. This will allow teams to play every team within their division an even number of games. Under the current setup, teams play four games against division opponents and three games against others.
To account for the increased number of regular-season games, the league would cut the number of preseason games by two. Veteran players aren’t fond of preseason games and there have injuries during those, including to Los Angeles Kings defenseman Rob Blake in 2024.
One-year cut in contract lengths
The current maximum length is eight years for re-signing and seven years for signing with a new team. Those numbers will drop to seven and six. This is a further change from the earlier days when teams offered contracts in the double-digit lengths with a big portion up front and less at the end to lower the overall salary cap hit.
Playoff salary cap
Currently, there is no salary cap in the playoffs, just in the regular season. Teams were able to put players on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and exceed the salary cap by the amount of their salaries. For example, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov missed the entire 2020-01 season after offseason hip surgery but returned for the playoffs and helped the Lightning win a second consecutive Stanley Cup title. Tampa Bay used the LTIR exception to add to their roster during the season. A postseason salary cap would close off that loophole.