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2025-2026 Off Season Thread - The Rehappening

Here are some other key aspects of the new CBA, per Seravalli.

  • The NHL will move to 84-game regular seasons beginning in 2026-27. The pre-season will be shortened to an expected four games per team. Players with 100-plus career games played can play in a maximum of two preseason games.
  • Player contracts will be term-limited to a maximum of seven years for players re-signing with their current club and six years for players on the free agent market. The 2025-26 season (next week’s free agency) will mark the final eight-year deals in the NHL.
  • A comprehensive playoff salary cap mechanism, which has many machinations to account for player acquisition, will effectively close the LTIR loophole for teams to significantly pad payroll by using injury relief space.
  • Signing rights to draft picks will be uniform across the board until age 22, regardless of the league from which prospects are picked or which league they matriculate to next. In other words, if an 18-year-old CHL player is drafted but decides to play NCAA, a team will still hold his rights for four years.
  • Outlawing of player deferred salary in contracts, which previously lowered the cap hit of deals. This is one example of significantly more stringent contractual limitations that are expected to be in the new CBA for players.
  • Revenue split will remain 50/50 between owners and players. There are not expected to be changes to the definitions of what constitutes hockey-related revenue (HRR).
  • Significant increase in Stanley Cup playoff bonus pool fund, nearly doubling the previous amount.
  • Establishment of ‘full-time’ Emergency Backup Goalie (EBUG) position within organizations so that amateur goalies signed out of beer leagues are not entering games in rare injury circumstances.
  • Landmark player benefit improvements (health insurance and post-playing health insurance stipends), plus movement of player payroll taxes and workers’ compensation premiums to be paid out of the owners’ share.
  • Teams will no longer be able to mandate player dress code for arriving/departing games.
  • As previously announced in February, the next three seasons of the salary cap’s upper limit are: $95.5 million, $104 million and $113 million.
 
thehabhater said:
Here are some other key aspects of the new CBA, per Seravalli.

  • The NHL will move to 84-game regular seasons beginning in 2026-27. The pre-season will be shortened to an expected four games per team. Players with 100-plus career games played can play in a maximum of two preseason games.
  • Player contracts will be term-limited to a maximum of seven years for players re-signing with their current club and six years for players on the free agent market. The 2025-26 season (next week’s free agency) will mark the final eight-year deals in the NHL.
  • A comprehensive playoff salary cap mechanism, which has many machinations to account for player acquisition, will effectively close the LTIR loophole for teams to significantly pad payroll by using injury relief space.
  • Signing rights to draft picks will be uniform across the board until age 22, regardless of the league from which prospects are picked or which league they matriculate to next. In other words, if an 18-year-old CHL player is drafted but decides to play NCAA, a team will still hold his rights for four years.
  • Outlawing of player deferred salary in contracts, which previously lowered the cap hit of deals. This is one example of significantly more stringent contractual limitations that are expected to be in the new CBA for players.
  • Revenue split will remain 50/50 between owners and players. There are not expected to be changes to the definitions of what constitutes hockey-related revenue (HRR).
  • Significant increase in Stanley Cup playoff bonus pool fund, nearly doubling the previous amount.
  • Establishment of ‘full-time’ Emergency Backup Goalie (EBUG) position within organizations so that amateur goalies signed out of beer leagues are not entering games in rare injury circumstances.
  • Landmark player benefit improvements (health insurance and post-playing health insurance stipends), plus movement of player payroll taxes and workers’ compensation premiums to be paid out of the owners’ share.
  • Teams will no longer be able to mandate player dress code for arriving/departing games.
  • As previously announced in February, the next three seasons of the salary cap’s upper limit are: $95.5 million, $104 million and $113 million.
Click to expand...
Max term should be 5 years
 
GEEMAN said:
Doesnt this hurt the Leafs who give upfront 90% bonuses
Click to expand...

Gary still actively trying to level the playing field, other than the actual take home pay issue which is a far larger imbalance than bonuses. But, as this was a bonus that benefitted Canadian teams most (the whole CRA case with Tavares was about bonus money being tax free for a non Canadian tax resident coming to Canada to work)...well, we can all fuck off and like it.

Teams in no state tax jurisdictions though can continue enjoying their annual 8-9% boost in AAV efficiency when constructing their rosters though.
 
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