The NHL appears headed toward an 84-game regular season, according to terms of a new collective bargaining agreement that would run through the 2029-30 season and could be revealed as early as Friday, the Daily Faceoff and ESPN reported.
The four-year CBA extension also is expected to include a seven-year maximum on all new contracts, while a solution on emergency goalies will be implemented.
While the proposed CBA could be announced before Friday’s NHL Draft at Los Angeles, it still would have to be ratified by the league and the NHL Players’ Association.
Under a new 84-game season, up from the current 82, each team would go from a maximum of eight preseason games to a maximum of four. The additional two regular-season games would allow teams to visit every building in the league each season, while making sure division rivals face each other four times.
The seven-year limit on new contracts would be for players who re-sign with their current teams. Free agents going to new teams would be limited to six-year contracts. Those limits had been eight and seven years, respectively.
Teams would also be required to employ a full-time emergency backup goalie who would travel with the club and can also participate in practice.
In addition, all hockey-related revenue will be split equally between players and owners, while playoff teams will be forced to comply with the salary cap by eliminating the long-term injured reserve loophole.
The current CBA expires after the 2025-26 season, meaning the four-year extension would run through September of 2030.
–Field Level Media
