The NHL Board of Governors and all members of the NHLPA have approved the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will start in the 2026-27 season and last until the end of the 2029-30 season.
Although the complete details of the new CBA won’t be shared with everyone just yet, sources told ESPN that it will feature an 84-game regular season, increasing from 82 games, along with shorter maximum contract lengths.
The two parties reached an agreement on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in late June, just before the NHL draft in Los Angeles. Over the weekend, the players voted to approve this agreement.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman mentioned in a statement, “The partnership between the Players’ Association and the League has never been stronger. Working together under this agreement gives us a great chance to keep growing the game.” He also expressed gratitude to the board of governors for supporting this deal, which enhances the sport and ensures a fantastic experience for fans in the future.
This new CBA comes after a 10-year deal that was signed in 2013 and extended in 2020. NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh stated last month that players wanted a shorter term because the NHL is always changing.
“We had some players who started their careers under the last agreement and retired while still under it,” Walsh explained. “They never got a real chance to share their opinions or rights about collective bargaining because player generations change.”
Sources told ESPN that the CBA will feature:
1. An 84-game regular season along with a shorter preseason.
2. Contracts for players have been shortened, with a maximum length of seven years if they re-sign with their current team and six years if they join a new one.
3. Teams can now have permanent emergency backup goaltenders.
4.There are new rules for long-term injured reserve that set a salary cap on active players’ total salaries during playoff games.
5. The dress codes for players on game days have been removed.
6.Draft rights will now expire when a player turns 22 years old.
7. Minimum salaries in the NHL are increasing.
8. Deferred payments in contracts have been eliminated.
9. The NHL has also extended its commitment to participate in the Olympics through 2030.
The discussions between team owners and players for the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) were the smoothest that Commissioner Bettman has experienced since he started in 1993. He attributed this success to Walsh, who was the former U.S. Secretary of Labor and Mayor of Boston, and joined the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) in 2023.
“It’s really refreshing. It’s completely different from any other experience I’ve had,” Bettman said.
Walsh added, “This CBA demonstrates what can be achieved when the NHL and the union collaborate — an agreement that supports the global growth of hockey. That benefits everyone.”
