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The NHL’s Board of Governors convened on Wednesday for one of their biannual meetings, with the league and the NHLPA still engaged in negotiations toward a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The current CBA, which was signed in 2013 with a four-year extension ratified in 2020, expires on September 15, 2026.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman shared with NHL.com’s Dan Rosen that the Board of Governors was given an “extensive” update on the league’s talks with the NHLPA. According to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski and Kevin Weekes, part of those talks involve extending the league’s regular season by two games to 84 games for each team.
The league has been in talks for some time about reformatting its schedule, as teams currently play an odd number of games against a select group of division rivals each season. For example, the 2024-25 Washington Capitals played four games against the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins, but only three games against the New York Rangers and New York Islanders.
Adding two more games to the schedule would result in the Capitals playing four games against each of the other seven Metropolitan Division teams every season. Intra-divisional matchups can be lucrative for teams in terms of attendance and increased television viewership.
To compensate for the increased number of games, the NHL would likely reduce the length of the preseason. However, many star players already do not play many games in the preseason, so concerns about injuries and fatigue persist with extending the regular season.
Overall, Bettman told Rosen that he’s positive about the progression in talks with the NHLPA. He echoed his optimism from February, when he, deputy commissioner Bill Daly, and the NHLPA’s assistant executive director, Ron Hainsey, met with the media to announce the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.
“The whole process has been trending positive,” Bettman told Rosen. “The relationship is in a great place. Marty and I have a terrific relationship. We don’t always agree on everything but it’s constructive, professional. And, so, I think things are good.”
In addition to discussions about the schedule, the CBA talks are also expected to include closing the long-term injured reserve loophole that many teams have exploited in recent seasons. At the meeting on Wednesday, the Board of Governors was also updated about potential expansion franchises and international best-on-best competitions.
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RMNB is not associated with the Washington Capitals; Monumental Sports, the NHLPA, the NHL, or its properties. Not even a little bit.
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