[News] 4 year CBA Ratified. MOU released

[Fighting Banana Slug]

No more double retention seems like a pretty big change as well. Makes it harder to monetize cap space.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by getbak

The playoff cap article is quite long, but the gist of it as I can see:

A team's active 20 man roster for any playoff game must be cap compliant. The cap calculation will also account for buyouts, retained salaries, and buried salaries. It will not include performance and games played bonuses, but will include signing bonuses.



If a player was acquired in a retained-salary transaction, his full season's salary will be counted against the playoff cap, excluding the percentage that was retained. However, if the team that retained the salary makes the playoffs, only the amount they retained against the cap after the trade will count against their playoff cap.

For example: A player with a $10 million cap hit is traded at the halfway mark of the season and his original team retains 25% of the salary in the trade. If both teams make the playoffs that season, the player's playoff cap hit for the team that acquired him will be $7.5 million ($10 million minus 25%). The team that traded him will also have a dead cap hit during the playoffs of $1.25 million (half of 25% of $10 million because they only retained the salary for half the season).

I'm reading this as a player in the final year of their contract, but in scenarios where the player's contract with retention proceeds into the following season(s), the same simple split occurs - in both regular season and playoffs.

Interesting.

The Flames being a bubble team, with ample cap room, could weaponize retention trades even more.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

No more double retention seems like a pretty big change as well. Makes it harder to monetize cap space.

I bet thing is something that the league officials wanted. Just seems like a pain to process, and makes trades more convoluted than they need to be.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by getbak

The playoff cap article is quite long, but the gist of it as I can see:

A team's active 20 man roster for any playoff game must be cap compliant. The cap calculation will also account for buyouts, retained salaries, and buried salaries. It will not include performance and games played bonuses, but will include signing bonuses.



If a player was acquired in a retained-salary transaction, his full season's salary will be counted against the playoff cap, excluding the percentage that was retained. However, if the team that retained the salary makes the playoffs, only the amount they retained against the cap after the trade will count against their playoff cap.

For example: A player with a $10 million cap hit is traded at the halfway mark of the season and his original team retains 25% of the salary in the trade. If both teams make the playoffs that season, the player's playoff cap hit for the team that acquired him will be $7.5 million ($10 million minus 25%). The team that traded him will also have a dead cap hit during the playoffs of $1.25 million (half of 25% of $10 million because they only retained the salary for half the season).

That will reduce the value of retaining on pending UFAs, and might even hurt the rental market generally. It's always playoff teams that are buyers, and if you acquire a player at the deadline with 50% retained it doesn't add much full year cap, but now they'll effectively have to have 50% of the full year cap for that player to be useable in the playoffs.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

No more double retention seems like a pretty big change as well. Makes it harder to monetize cap space.

As of this MOU, double secret retention is still possible.

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I bet thing is something that the league officials wanted. Just seems like a pain to process, and makes trades more convoluted than they need to be.

I don't think the league liked them because it came pretty close to buying a pick for straight up cash.

That is why they forced teams to give up a minor leaguer in the double retention trades instead of doing it for future considerations.

[Itse]

The "yes that alcohol, no to cannabis" thing is stupid, but other than that seems like they mostly made a whole lot of common sense changes. I'm guessing both sides are happy.

I guess it helps getting the small stuff done when there's no major disagreements to fight over.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

No more double retention seems like a pretty big change as well. Makes it harder to monetize cap space.

It hasn't been much of a thing anyway.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

great informative tweet from Pike

https://twitter.com/user/status/1943726662782513491

One of the main things I learned from this is that someone can’t spell bonafide.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

One of the main things I learned from this is that someone can’t spell bonafide.

Bona fide is actually two words.

[sureLoss]

per PuckPedia the NHL and NHLPA have agreed to the rolling implementation of the new changes

https://puckpedia.com/news/CBA-Transition

Immediate Implementation (effective for the 25-26 season)
New Playoff Salary Cap
Limits/changes to LTIR, reducing the benefits a team receives in LTIR
No Deferred Compensation (effective Oct 7, 2025)
Restriction on Paper Loans
Restriction on a second retention on a traded contract
AHL Loans for 19 year old players (NHL will re-open CBA agreement June 15, 2026)
Four Recall rule


Implementation Prior to 26-27 season
Drafted Players Rights Retentions for 2026 draft
Minor League Compensation Limits (March 1)
NHL Min Salary increases (effective March 1)
ELC Contract Limits (effective March 1)
Mandatory Neck Protection July 1
Entry Level eligibility for European Players (March 1)


Sept 16, 2026 Implementation
Contract Term Limit
Contract Variability Limit
Signing Bonus limit
Emergency Back Up Goalie system
Roster Emergency Exception changes
Performance Bonus eligibility for injured veterans
QO threshold increases
ELC signing Bonus increase

[Canada 02]

AHL Loans for 19 year old players (NHL will re-open CBA agreement June 15, 2026)

Zayne can play for the Wranglers this season?

What does the bold mean?

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

Zayne can play for the Wranglers this season?

What does the bold mean?

Interesting… seems like they’ve moved up the decision to allow one 19-year old per team to play for nhl teams this year.

Based on this article from July, the bold is to negotiate this more broadly with the CHL. Maybe the CBA is a typo for CHL agreement?.

[Robbob]

So that change to the LTIR is good for the teams with cap space. Might force some of those teams that abuse the LTIR to rethink some things

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

CHL actually really needs this AHL thing to go through. It's one thing they can offer that NCAA can't: a fast-track to being a (non-NHL) pro.

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

per PuckPedia the NHL and NHLPA have agreed to the rolling implementation of the new changes

https://puckpedia.com/news/CBA-Transition

There has to be a lot of heads hanging low in Edmonton today with the playoff cap and limits on LTIR being implemented. Thats a massive hit to them.

[MissTeeks]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1962967401177481476

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

That will reduce the value of retaining on pending UFAs, and might even hurt the rental market generally. It's always playoff teams that are buyers, and if you acquire a player at the deadline with 50% retained it doesn't add much full year cap, but now they'll effectively have to have 50% of the full year cap for that player to be useable in the playoffs.

It's going to dramatically increase the value of players that have good cap hits too. Eliminates options for higher priced players moving with double retention.

It also promotes making a move earlier too.

These rules coming into play now has increased the value of Ras by quite a bit IMO. His contract and the Flames having a retention spot plus millions in space, Conroy needs take advantage of this.

[heep223]

Whoa I’m surprised they’re implementing the playoff salary cap this season. That’s fantastic

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Endorsing Cannabis (including CBD) or Tobacco is a no-no under the new CBA but gambling is A-OK?

Ridiculous.