The new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the National Hockey League and the NHL Players Association officially takes effect for the 2026-27 season. The current CBA is in place through and including September 15, 2026. However, the NHL and NHLPA have agreed to implement certain key provisions immediately for the 2025-26 campaign.
Essentially, the new CBA has three separate implementation timelines. Some take effect this season. Meanwhile, a second batch takes effect on July 1, 2026. The 2025-26 league calendar ends on June 30, 2026. The next day, teams can sign outside free agents. Likewise, some new provisions begin on the first day of the 2026-27 calendar The remaining provisions take effect when the new CBA “officially” begins on Sept. 16.
CBA: Playoff salary cap starts immediately
Until now, there was no salary cap in the postseason. That goes away in 2025-26.
- On every playoff game day, teams must submit a list of 18 skaters and two goalies. The game roster must be within the salary cap ceiling. Teams must submit their playoff game roster to NHL Central Registry by 3 p.m. local time or five hours before the game (whichever comes earlier).
- Each day, teams must calculate and submit their “Averaged Club Salary”. It must be within the cap.
- What happens if there’s a late addition or substitution, whether due to injury or coach’s decision? That’s allowed. However, the final lineup must still fall within the salary cap.
CBA: Immediate change to LTIRer
Teams can no longer “stash” players on LTIR (Long-Term Injured Reserve) for activation come playoff time. There are other tweaks coming to LTIR rules. For example, moving forward, the CBA curbs practices such as multiple teams retaining portions of a player’s cap hit. All relate to curbing salary cap circumvention strategies.
Specific to LTIR, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told NHL.com the goal is NOT to punish its legitimate use. Rather, the changes are designed to curb potential abuse.
In other words, if a player on LTIR “heals” just in time for playoff clearance and activation, that’s fine. However, the activated player’s salary must still fit within the cap before he can see game action.
What won’t change before 2026-27: AHL Age Rule
There’s been a lot of people who jumped the gun on this one. Daly clarified on Wednesday that the AHL Age Rule will NOT be altered at all for the 2025-26 season. The NHL still plans to reopen its agreement with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and the American Hockey League. However, do not look immediate change to allow each NHL team to make one 19-year-old player per year exempt from the Age Rule.
Per NHL.com, Daly said the matter will be addressed prior to the 2026-27 season. CHL and USHL representatives expressed concerns with how the Age Rule amendment will work. They asked for several clarifications. The NHL plan now is to revisit the matter by June 2026.
The revised Age Rule is just one of a host of CBA changes that won’t be in place before next year. However, it’s the one that caused the most confusion and erroneous reports.
