Overview

• Starting with the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, teams must submit a cap‑compliant 20‑player roster for each game, ending the practice of activating high‑salary LTIR players for the postseason after loading up at the deadline.
• New LTIR limits for 2025–26 cap relief require replacement players’ total salary and bonuses not exceed the injured player’s total, with their average amounts capped at the prior season’s average league salary unless the injured player is ruled out for the year.
• Trade and contract mechanisms are tightened this season, including a ban on double‑retention deals and the outlawing of deferred compensation in new contracts beginning Oct. 7, with additional restrictions on paper AHL loans to curb cap banking.
• Immediate off‑ice updates include a relaxed dress code and permission for players to endorse wine and spirits.
• General managers will be briefed this week in Chicago, while major items such as contract term limits and the 84‑game schedule remain set for Sept. 16, 2026, and talks continue on potential AHL loans for 19‑year‑olds.