The NHL schedule will shift to a late-September start for the 2026-27 season with the Stanley Cup awarded in mid-June. The preseason will be shortened to four games, and veteran players will be limited to two preseason games. The regular season will be extended to 84 games. Veteran status follows prior criteria including games played and draft status. The league will still see the Cup Final in mid-June to allow more rest and accommodate international events. Immediate CBA-driven changes include closing the postseason LTIR loophole, a modified playoff salary cap, ending dress codes, limiting double retentions and paper loans, and negotiating CHL/AHL 19-year-old loan rules.
"[T]he regular season will begin in late September for 2026-27, and Cup awarded mid June," LeBrun tweeted. "Pre-season shortened and regular season extended to 84 games." The agreed-upon changes to the schedule will shorten the preseason to just four games, with veterans being limited to two games prior to the regular season. Under previous NHL rules, a "veteran" is any player who meets one of four criteria: Played in 30+ NHL games the previous season Dressed in 50+ NHL games (goaltenders) Was a first-round pick in the most recent draft Played in 100-plus career NHL games
The NHL regular season has only started in September one previous time, when the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings faced off in London, England, to begin the 2007-08 campaign. While games may start sooner, the Stanley Cup Final will still leak into mid-June, likely to give teams more days off during the year and account for planned international tournaments and All-Star breaks. Other big changes triggered by the CBA negotiations are being implemented immediately this upcoming season. Among those is the league closing the postseason long-term-injured-reserve loophole with a modified playoff salary cap, elimination of dress codes, restricting double retentions on contracts in trades, and restricting paper loans.
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