Overview
- The NHL and NHLPA put the new collective bargaining agreement into effect on Sept. 16, 2026, which lowers the maximum re-signing term from eight years to seven and the maximum free-agent term from seven to six.
- Clubs raced to sign final eight-year extensions before the midnight deadline, with Colorado’s Cale Makar, Ottawa’s Drake Batherson, Washington’s Ryan Leonard and Buffalo’s Noah Östlund among the marquee deals completed.
- Rising league revenue and a bigger salary cap helped drive the flurry of long-term guarantees, with the cap rising from about $95.5 million to $104 million and projected to increase further in 2027-28.
- The new agreement also changes league operations by expanding the regular season to 84 games, creating a playoff roster salary-cap requirement, tightening LTIR and paper-transaction rules, and establishing full-time emergency backup goalies.
- Some cases remain unresolved and highlight the trade-offs in play: the Flyers did not sign Matvei Michkov before the deadline, and teams now must weigh using fewer contract years to lock young talent against the risk players will bet on higher future pay.