A beginner’s guide to the NHL’s new CBA
Naomi Campbell, Staff Writer
As the 2026-2027 National Hockey League (NHL) season begins, the league has updated the official Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The CBA serves as the master contract between the NHL and the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA), dictating the league’s rules, working conditions, and financial structures.
It is an important guideline in the NHL as it keeps players, league offices and organisations under the same set of rules and standards. The first edition of the CBA was created in 1975, and over the years, it has been updated to address teams’ wants and needs and improve safety across the league.
The first set of changes to the CBA occurred during the 1994-1995 season, when the NHL went into a lockout after only 48 regular-season games. This happened because neither the team owners nor the players could reach an agreement on a salary cap.
Then during the league’s 2012-2013 lockout, the CBA updated its policy on contract length, only allowing players to sign with a team for up to seven or eight years.
In the most recent CBA update, there are notable changes for hockey fans to watch as the season begins.
84-game regular season
For the first time in 33 years, the NHL is transitioning from 82 to 84 games per season, reducing the pre-season from eight to four games. This gives every team the chance to play each opponent in the opposite conference once at home and once on the road for a total of 42 home and 42 away games.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke about the impact of this back in March, addressing speculation about whether this rule would be implemented before the next season.
“Going to 84 games, what really that does is balance off divisional play,” Bettman said in a post-Olympic press conference. “Every team will play every other team twice at home and twice away, which I think is good so we’re not doing any rotation within the division. If anything, I think it makes it more impactful.”
Mandatory neck guards
As an addition to player equipment and player safety, the NHL is now mandating the use of a neckguard. Though there hasn’t been a serious neck injury in the league since 2008, former NHLer Adam Johnson passed away in 2023 after suffering a neck laceration during an Elite Ice Hockey League game in England.
The use of neck guards is mandatory for any player yet to suit up in an NHL game. As for established players, they have the choice to wear a neck guard or not. While it can help limit injuries, most players will choose to be exempt from the rule due to comfort and preference.
This rule is similar to the CBA’s regulation on helmet visors. It gave veteran players the choice to wear one or not, with Jamie Benn, Zach Bogosian and Ryan O’Reilly the only players left who did not.
Emergency backup goalies
Leading up to the night of an NHL game, there will be two goalies representing either team—one in net, and the other on the bench. Despite that, injuries are bound to happen, and an emergency backup goaltender (EBUG) will be called in to play when a team’s goalies are unable to continue.
The new rule for EBUGs states that the goalie must be a current member of the team’s staff. They cannot have any former NHL experience, have played professionally in the last three seasons and cannot have 80 or more games of pro hockey experience.
The new rule helps eliminate a mid-game scramble to find an emergency goalie, allowing the appointed EBUG to participate in practices and pre-game skates, which will help ensure standardised availability and prevent potential exploitation in emergency roster management. Each team has a selected EBUG, and they are required to declare their goalie accessible to the team 24 hours prior to puck drop.
With the new EBUG rule, the Calgary Flames announced Dusty Nickel as their full-time backup. Nickel has been the arena backup since 2023-24. Apart from the Flames organisation, he also attended Mount Royal University, where he played only one game for the Cougars.
Olympics
026, NHL players were granted access to play for their respective countries at the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. This was exciting for hockey fans as their favourite players had not been allowed to play in the Games since 2014.
The reasons for removing these athletes from competition were fear of injuries before the NHL season had finished and a disagreement between the International Olympic Committee and the National Hockey League, specifically Gary Bettman and the team owners, over insurance, travel costs, and scheduling.
As the NHL season begins, more details of the agreement, including contract lengths, playoff cap salaries and affiliate availability, can be found on the NHLPA website.
