The NHL Board of Governors and NHLPA’s full membership have both ratified the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which begins in 2026-27 and runs through the 2029-30 season.
While the full details of the new CBA won’t be released to the public until a later date, sources confirmed to ESPN that the new CBA will include an 84-game regular season — up from 82 — as well as shortened max-term contracts.
The two sides agreed to the new CBA in late June, ahead of the NHL draft in Los Angeles. The players voted to ratify the agreement over the weekend.
“The partnership between the Players’ Association and the League is stronger than it ever has been and working together under this agreement presents a fantastic opportunity to continue to grow the game,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “We are grateful to the board of governors for its support of this agreement that strengthens our game and ensures we are collectively delivering a great fan experience in the years to come.”
The new CBA follows a 10-year agreement signed in 2013 and then extended in 2020. NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said last month that the players preferred a shorter term because the NHL is always evolving.
“We had some players that came into this league under the last agreement and retired from the league under the last agreement,” Walsh said. “They never had a chance to really express their collective bargaining opinions or rights. Because generations of players change.”
Sources confirmed to ESPN that the CBA will include:
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An 84-game regular season, along with a shortened preseason;
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Shortened max-term contracts, capped at seven years for a player re-signing with his club and six years if they sign with another team;
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Permanent emergency backup goaltenders for teams;
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Changes to long-term injured reserve rules that include a postseason salary cap on the total salaries of the active players in any given playoff game;
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Elimination of player dress codes on game days;
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Standardization of draft rights expiring when a player is 22 years old;
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Increasing minimum NHL salaries;
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Elimination of deferred payments in contracts;
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Extension of the NHL’s commitment to Olympic participation through 2030.
The CBA talks between the owners and players were the smoothest of Bettman’s tenure as commissioner, which began in 1993. He credited that to Walsh, the former U.S. Secretary of Labor and Mayor of Boston who joined the NHLPA in 2023.
“It’s completely refreshing. It’s completely different than any of the previous experiences I’ve had so far,” Bettman said.
“This CBA shows what can be accomplished when the NHL and the union work together — an agreement that will allow for the continued worldwide growth of the game,” Walsh added. “That is a win for everyone.”
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan contributed to this report.