[sureLoss]

The MOU has been released:
https://media.nhl.com/public/news/19116

Spoiler!

Seravalli reporting new CBA framework will be announced Friday:

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/nh...me-season-ltir

he four-year extension would kick in on Sept. 16, 2026 and carry through Sept. 15, 2030. With one more year remaining on this current CBA, that would provide five total years of continuity for a league with three previous work stoppages on record. This is the earliest the NHL and NHLPA will have concluded an extension prior to expiration in Bettman’s 32-year run as commissioner.

Here are some pertinent details of the agreement, according to both league and union sources:

• The NHL will move to 84-game regular seasons beginning in 2026-27. The preseason will be shortened, to an expected four games per team, and players with 100-plus career games played can play in a maximum of two preseason games.
• Player contracts will be term limited to a maximum of seven years for players re-signing with their current club and six years for players on the free agent market. The 2025-26 season (next week’s free agency) will mark the final eight-year deals in the NHL.
• A comprehensive playoff salary cap mechanism, which has many machinations to account for player acquisition, will effectively close the LTIR loophole for teams to significantly pad payroll by using injury relief space.
• Signing rights to draft picks will be uniform across the board until age 22, regardless of the league prospects are picked from or which league they matriculate to next. In other words, if an 18-year-old CHL player is drafted but decided to play NCAA, a team will still hold his rights for four years.
• Outlawing of player deferred salary in contracts, which previously lowered the cap hit of deals. This is one example of significantly more stringent contractual limitations that are expected to be in the new CBA for players.
• Revenue split will remain 50/50 between owners and players. There are not expected to be changes to the definitions of what constitutes hockey related revenue (HRR).
• Significant increase in Stanley Cup playoff bonus pool fund, nearly doubling previous amount.
• Establishment of ‘full-time’ Emergency Backup Goalie (EBUG) position within organizations so that amateur goalies signed out of beer league are not entering games in rare injury circumstances.
• Landmark player benefit improvements (health insurance and post-playing health insurance stipends), plus movement of player payroll taxes and worker’s compensation premiums to be paid out of owner’s share.
• Teams will no longer be able to mandate player dress code for arriving/departing games.
• As previously announced in February, the next three seasons of the salary cap’s upper limit: $95.5 million, $104 million and $113 million.

Spoiler!

per Friedman other things believed to be worked on:

• Dropping maximum-length contracts from eight years (your own player) to seven (another team’s free agent)

• Draft rights until age 22

• The ability for some first-round picks from the CHL to have AHL eligibility earlier than currently allowed. (Some believe it should be one per NHL club as opposed to first-rounders because not every team has a pick in that round, but no idea if that has any traction.)

• No more deferred-salary contracts

• Creation of a “permanent” EBUG to practise and travel with their NHL team

• A revenue-sharing tweak to help some of the more middle-class teams

Whatever the case, it shouldn’t be too long until we find out for sure.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1937997822277673269