Earlier today, league Commissioner Gary Bettman announced a Memorandum of Understanding between the NHL and NHLPA for a new agreed-upon Collective Bargaining Agreement beginning in the 2026-27 season. New details continue to emerge regarding the new agreement, one of which is regarding minimum salaries.
According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the league minimum salary will jump from $775K in 2025-26 to $1MM in 2029-30. Seravalli didn’t know if there would be a mild year-on-year increase for the minimum salary, just where it would end up by the time the next CBA ends.
Although the NHL hasn’t projected an upper limit of the salary cap for the 2029-30 season, it marks an odd relative dip in payment for league-minimum salaries. Assuming the cap continues to rise at its current pace of 9% each season, the upper limit for the 2029-30 season would be approximately $134.8MM. This means that a $775K salary in 2025-26 would account for 0.8% of a team’s cap hit, while a $1MM salary in 2029-30 would drop to 0.7%.
Other notes from the new CBA:
- One of the biggest points of contention was the playoff implications of LTIR. The CBA includes a new salary cap for the playoffs. However, according to Seravalli, teams will only benefit from cap savings equal to the previous year’s average salary, rather than the full cap hit of the player. The only exception to this rule is if the player does not participate in the entire Stanley Cup playoffs.
- Seravalli also pointed out the new draftee signing rules in the upcoming CBA. A team will hold the signing rights for four years on any 18-year-old that they draft tonight, and three years for any 19-year-old selected. Additionally, for those playing in the NCAA, their signing rights will only expire 30 days after they’ve confirmed with their drafting team that they’re no longer playing at the collegiate level.
- According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the new CBA will mandate a 75-day window of allowable salary retention. In essence, the new rule effectively eliminated three-team trades at the deadline. If a team wants to orchestrate 75% salary retention on any given player, they’ll need to wait nearly 11 weeks to do so.
- It’s now confirmed that NHL players will be included in the next two Olympic Games. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the new CBA includes language allowing the players to participate in the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps region of France.
- As a new equipment rule, Seravalli announced that the NHL will make neck guards mandatory for any new player entering the league in the 2026-27 season and beyond. The new equipment rule is no doubt inspired by the late Adam Johnson, who tragically lost his life after getting cut in the neck by a skate in an EIHL game during the 2023-24 season.
Anyone else remember when Rene Borque had a skate injury to the neck? Totally understand the neck guard rule, that was terrifying.
What about Richard Zednik?
Oh man, I feel like I knew about that one, but just watched a clip… YIKES.
I watched the Bourque injury live on TV, so that one sticks in my mind more. But holy crap. Thank the gods these guys are still kickin’.
I was at that game in Buffalo!
Not sure if a neck guard will protect against a switchback kick to the throat though.
The lagging minimum salary shouldn’t be a surprise. The union’s executive board is comprised mostly of players on their 3rd or 4th contracts. Younger players on ELC’s are not going to be a priority during negotiations. $1 million is a round number that both sides were probably fine with and could quickly move on from.
Regarding the playoff salary cap: the game-to-game 20-man roster should give teams the ability to maneuver around it by healthy scratching a player on a bad contract. Teams will find a way to game the system.
I really don’t understand the 75-day window of allowable salary retention. Why are they making deadline trades more difficult? This wasn’t a problem that needed fixing.
Neck guards were, though. Hopefully we never have another Adam Johnson situation.