The NHL’s decision makers have been busy this week, making several big tweaks to how the league will operate moving forward. The changes are all related to the new CBA agreed on with the NHLPA in late June, and some will take effect this season, while others will take effect in future seasons.
The reporting comes via TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.
“[T]he regular season will begin in late September for 2026-27, and Cup awarded mid June,” LeBrun tweeted. “Pre-season shortened and regular season extended to 84 games.”
The agreed-upon changes to the schedule will shorten the preseason to just four games, with veterans being limited to two games prior to the regular season. Under previous NHL rules, a “veteran” is any player who meets one of four criteria:
- Played in 30+ NHL games the previous season
- Dressed in 50+ NHL games (goaltenders)
- Was a first-round pick in the most recent draft
- Played in 100-plus career NHL games
The NHL regular season has only started in September one previous time, when the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings faced off in London, England, to begin the 2007-08 campaign. While games may start sooner, the Stanley Cup Final will still leak into mid-June, likely to give teams more days off during the year and account for planned international tournaments and All-Star breaks.
Other big changes triggered by the CBA negotiations are being implemented immediately this upcoming season. Among those is the league closing the postseason long-term-injured-reserve loophole with a modified playoff salary cap, elimination of dress codes, restricting double retentions on contracts in trades, and restricting paper loans.
The league is also currently negotiating with the CHL to allow NHL teams to place one 19-year-old prospect from the junior leagues on loan to their AHL affiliates per season. The change has already been agreed upon for future seasons, but the negotiations are underway to fast-track it for the 2025-26 campaign.
The LTIR loophole is the biggest of the updates, requiring the roster chosen to play in each individual playoff game to fit under the salary cap. Meaning, whichever 20 players a team decides to line up must fit under the cap.
The NHL’s salary cap is expected to increase each of the next three seasons, giving teams ample time to reconfigure their rosters.
