Daily Faceoff on Thursday reported that the NHL and NHLPA are finalizing a Memorandum of Understanding that will extend the current collective bargaining agreement by four years and bring the following changes starting in September 2026:
• The preseason is shortened to four games (down from the current six or seven), and the regular season is extended from 82 to 84 games.
• The maximum contract lengths for players will be shortened by a year: Six years on the open market, seven years if re-signing.
• A playoff salary cap system.
• Signing rights for drafted players last until the player turns 22. The current system is complicated and is contingent on where the player is being drafted from and his age at the time he was drafted.
• No salary deferring in contracts (something that is extremely rare now).
• Signing bonuses can only be 60% of a total cap hit, preventing players from getting "buyout-proof" deals, since buyouts only deal with salary and not signing bonuses. Under the current system, contracts can be structured with high signing bonuses and little salary to make it so buying the player out comes with little benefit.
• Adding a full-time emergency backup goaltender position.
• Teams cannot mandate dress codes for before and after games. Currently, it's left up to the team whether they want a dress code, and the vast majority of them require suits.
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
10:44 pm - 06.26.2025DowntownReport: CBA changes coming
Daily Faceoff on Thursday reported that the NHL and NHLPA are finalizing a Memorandum of Understanding that will extend the current collective bargaining agreement by four years and bring the following changes starting in September 2026:
• The preseason is shortened to four games (down from the current six or seven), and the regular season is extended from 82 to 84 games.
• The maximum contract lengths for players will be shortened by a year: Six years on the open market, seven years if re-signing.
• A playoff salary cap system.
• Signing rights for drafted players last until the player turns 22. The current system is complicated and is contingent on where the player is being drafted from and his age at the time he was drafted.
• No salary deferring in contracts (something that is extremely rare now).
• Signing bonuses can only be 60% of a total cap hit, preventing players from getting "buyout-proof" deals, since buyouts only deal with salary and not signing bonuses. Under the current system, contracts can be structured with high signing bonuses and little salary to make it so buying the player out comes with little benefit.
• Adding a full-time emergency backup goaltender position.
• Teams cannot mandate dress codes for before and after games. Currently, it's left up to the team whether they want a dress code, and the vast majority of them require suits.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
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