The NHL’s regular season may see an increase from 82 to 84 games for the 2026-27 season, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday, as the league and the players’ association negotiate the schedule change during their collective bargaining agreement discussions.
An imbalanced number of division games against rivals, which draw more fans to the games or watching on their TVs at home, has caused some franchises to seek schedule alterations.
Adding a pair of games wouldn’t change the format that has every team visiting all other clubs at least once a season, but it would allow all division rivals to face off four times per season. Other schedule changes reportedly also have been discussed.
Per ESPN, players are concerned about wearing down with two more games in the regular season, but the NHL is expected to reduce the number of preseason games if it switches to an 84-game slate.
This wouldn’t be the first time the league implemented an 84-game schedule. From 1992-94, the NHL and NHLPA agreed that every team would play a pair of games at a neutral site in the expanded slate.
Among the other topics at the CBA talks are addressing how teams use the long-term injured reserve salary cap exemption. Teams have implemented the exemption late in the regular season, then brought back players in time for the start of the playoffs. One solution on the table is requiring playoff teams to comply with the cap for their active players, even if the overall roster has exceeded it.
An agreement on a new CBA, with the current version set to expire on Sept. 15, 2026, appears to be getting closer. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly reviewed the talks Wednesday at the board of governors meeting, though no vote was held.
“We started a little bit later than we had anticipated for a variety of reasons on both sides, so I don’t have an announcement to make today that we have a deal,” Bettman said before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. “We have more than a year to go, and I think we’re in a really good place in terms of our relationship.”
–Field Level Media
