The NHL and NHL Players’ Association ratified a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) earlier this month, which will run from Sept. 16, 2026 through Sept. 15, 2030.
The current CBA, still in place through the upcoming 2025-26 season, was first ratified in 2013 and extended in 2020.
Here are some notable updates that will affect the Buffalo Sabres and the rest of the league when the 2026-27 season begins.
84-game schedule and shortened preseason
The regular season, 82 games since the 1995-96 campaign, will be extended to 84.
With the league having recently expanded to 32 clubs, a team has played its divisional opponents either three or four times. The 84-game schedule could allow for four matchups with each divisional rival.
The preseason, meanwhile, will be a maximum of four games per team. Preseason length has varied under the current deal, and the Sabres will play six exhibitions this fall.
Contract term length
Maximum contract term will be seven years for re-signing with the same team and six years for external free-agent additions. This compares to eight and seven years, respectively, under the current CBA.
Minimum salary
The minimum salary for an NHL player, currently $775,000, will rise to $850,000 in 2026-27, $900,000 in 2027-28, $950,000 in 2028-29 and $1 million in 2029-30.
No more “paper transactions”
When a player is assigned to the AHL, he’ll be required to appear in a minor league game before the NHL club recalls him again.
So, teams can no longer free roster space by “loaning” a player who continues to travel with them, then recall him a day later.
End of the anonymous EBUG
Emergency backup goaltenders, called into action when both dressed goalies become unavailable, will no longer be just-got-off-their-day-job folk heroes like accountant Scott Foster or Zamboni driver David Ayres.
Instead, EBUGs will now be team employees approved by the league and on-site for home and road games. They can’t have NHL experience, nor can they have 80 or more games of professional hockey experience, nor can they have played professional hockey in the prior three seasons.
This could prove especially useful for practices and morning skates, with the EBUG suiting up for those sessions to allow more rest for the starter over the course of a season.
2030 Olympics
In February, 2026, NHL players – including Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin – will be returning to the Olympic Winter Games (in Milano-Cortina, Italy) for the first time since 2014.
The new CBA will allow them to participate in 2030, too, as the Olympics shift to the French Alps.
Playoff salary cap
Under the current deal, a player’s salary doesn’t count toward the salary cap while he’s on long-term injured reserve. This has allowed teams to spend that money on other players during the regular season and then, come the playoffs, activate injured players and exceed the salary cap.
No more. The new CBA will enforce the salary cap in the playoffs, too, for the 20 players dressing for a game.
Player dress code
A new rule states that “Clubs are not permitted to propose any rules concerning Player dress code,” but adds that “Players are required to dress in a manner that is consistent with contemporary fashion norms.”
The current CBA has required players to wear “jackets, ties and dress pants to all Club games and while traveling to and from such games unless otherwise specified by the Head Coach or General Manager.”
Neck protection
Players who make their NHL debut in 2026-27 and beyond will be required to wear cut-resistant neck protection. Neck protection will remain optional for those with NHL experience prior to the new CBA.
