Report: NHL, NHLPA closing in on 4-year CBA extension

The NHL and NHLPA are putting the final touches on a four-year collective bargaining agreement extension, which they're preparing to announce ahead of Friday's draft in Los Angeles, sources told Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

The current CBA runs until next September, and the reported extension will provide labor security until 2030 once it takes effect. The deal marks the earliest point in Gary Bettman's 32-year tenure as commissioner that the NHL and NHLPA have reached a new agreement, Seravalli notes.

The updated CBA will reportedly implement several significant changes, including the league's move to an 84-game regular-season schedule starting in the 2026-27 season. As a result of the expanded campaign, the NHL will reduce the preseason minimum to four contests per team, and players with 100 or more games played can suit up in a maximum of two, according to Seravalli.

Additionally, contracts will be limited to seven years for players re-signing with their current team and six years for any players who enter free agency, Seravalli adds. The current CBA allows for eight years on extensions and seven years on the open market.

The league will also reportedly implement a playoff salary cap, closing the hotly debated loophole for players on the long-term injured reserve. The salary cap hasn't been in effect during the postseason over the current CBA, which has allowed clubs to stash players on LTIR during the regular season before bringing them back early in the playoffs when teams can exceed the salary limit.

Full details of the new system are currently unknown.

Deferred salary contracts designed to lower cap hits are also set to be prohibited, per Seravalli. Other changes reportedly include eliminating the player dress code before and after games, as well as adding permanent emergency backup goalies (EBUG) for each team.