Overview
- Beginning with the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, teams must submit a 20‑player game roster by 3 p.m. local time or five hours before puck drop that is cap‑compliant based on an averaged club salary calculation.
- For 2025-26, LTIR relief is tightened so the total salary and bonuses of replacement players cannot exceed the injured player’s total, and the average amounts cannot exceed the prior season’s average league salary, with a narrow exception that renders the injured player ineligible to return.
- Immediate 2025-26 changes include a ban on deferred compensation effective Oct. 7, removal of dress codes, permission for wine and spirits endorsements, a prohibition on double salary retention in trades, and new limits on paper loans.
- General managers are being briefed in Chicago this week, with early reactions indicating trade‑deadline strategies will shift and some expect fewer in‑season moves under the new framework.
- From Sept. 16, 2026, new contract term limits take effect at seven years to re‑sign and six for switching teams, and the 2026-27 season will expand to 84 games with a late‑September start and a shorter preseason.