- The NHL’s new CBA takes effect September 16 and runs through September 15, 2030
- Eight-year extensions vanish after September 15, with the max dropping to seven years
- Read below for all six CBA changes and what each one actually does
The NHL’s next labor deal starts in nine days, and it takes a few familiar rules with it.
That agreement kicks in September 16 and runs through September 15, 2030. Adam Proteau of The Hockey News laid out the six changes worth knowing, and the contract rules are the ones agents have been circling all summer. A team re-signing its own player can go seven years instead of eight. Anyone signing somewhere new tops out at six instead of seven.
Front offices have until September 15 to hand out one last eight-year deal. Julian McKenzie of The Athletic put the date plainly:
Vancouver already beat the clock. Check out the structure on Zeev Buium’s eight-year, $9.38 million AAV extension, which is stuffed with signing bonuses:
Cale Makar squeezed his in too. His eight-year, $163.2 million contract carries a $20.4 million cap hit, and with a year of term coming off the ceiling, that total becomes a much heavier lift:
Plenty of the rest has nothing to do with money. The regular season grows from 82 games to 84 so divisional opponents can meet four times, and the preseason shrinks to four games per team. Every player who makes his NHL debut from here on has to wear cut-resistant neck protection, while veterans can pass.
Emergency backup goalies are real employees now, approved to travel with the club rather than pulled out of the stands. They can’t have NHL experience, can’t have played pro in the last three seasons, and can’t have 80 or more pro games on their résumé.
Minimum salary climbs from $775,000 to $850,000 this season, then to $900,000, $950,000 and $1 million by 2029-30.
One last change kills a loophole. Teams used to loan a player to the AHL on paper and recall him the next day without him ever reporting. Anyone sent down now has to suit up for at least one game before coming back.
| Change | Old rule | New rule |
|---|---|---|
| Re-signing term | 8 years | 7 years |
| New-team term | 7 years | 6 years |
| Regular season | 82 games | 84 games, 4 preseason |
| Neck guards | Optional | Required for all debuts |
| Emergency goalie | Whoever’s around | Team employee who travels |
| Minimum salary | $775,000 | $850,000, rising to $1M |
| AHL loans | Paper transactions allowed | Must play a game first |
Training camps open next week. The eight-year window shuts before the first practice ends.
