The NHL and NHLPA today released the full text of their new Collective Bargaining Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding, set to take effect ahead of the 2026-27 season. The two sides officially ratified the four-year extension on Tuesday, with many key details about the document already reported.
Still, some of the finer details may have gotten lost in translation or were not completely made public before today. As a result, we’re running a special-edition mailbag/Q&A about the new CBA and MOU. Submit your questions about the extension in the comment section below, and PHR’s Josh Erickson will comb through both documents to find the answer.
The mailbag will run on Tuesday, July 15.
What are your beliefs on A) How taxes affect contracts after new CBA, B) Chances of new expansion teams and what divisions and expansion draft could look like, and C) Who is in line to succeed Bettman as he could likely retire within the next few years. Thanks!
I’ve heard NHL teams can put a 19 year old in the AHL starting next season or maybe the following season. Do you know if that is part of the new CBA?
This isn’t a direct CBA question, but with drafted players signing rights expiring at 22 years of age under the new CBA plus the influx of NIL money at the NCAA level (which is likely to lead to some sort of additional compensation for some CHL players as well), will the draft shift to be more like the old MLB draft where “signability” is a more important factor when drafting than actual talent? With players now able to move from the CHL to the NCAA, an 18 year old could easily be in position to make more money with a year or two in the CHL then 4 in the NCAA (bringing him to 22 years of age) than he would make as an AHL player under a standard NHL two way contract.
Does the CHL have to sign off on the reported eligibility of one 19 year old player per team being allowed assignment to the AHL?