The NHL could be playing more games in the regular season, depending on how the CBA negotiations pan out.
The league recently saw the Florida Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, beating out the Edmonton Oilers for the second time in as many years. Oilers star Evander Kane also was criticized for not being part of the handshake line between the two teams after he was ejected earlier in the contest.
With the league's season fully concluded, now the attention has turned to upcoming CBA conversations and what that might look like for the future. Among the changes proposed would be adding more games to the regular season, a change not seen in three decades.
One of the changes coming in the next CBA could see teams play two additional games in the regular season, bumping up that number from 82 to 84, ESPN's Kevin Weekes posted on social media. Of note, the league had not played 84 games since the 1992-1993 and 1993-1994 seasons, marking the only times the league had played more than 82 games.
Hockey insider Pierre LeBrun corroborated Weekes' report, adding that pre-season games would be reduced to four and that the expanded season would begin in the 2026-27 season. Fans on social media sent mixed messages after seeing that the league is more than likely adding more games to the regular season.
Replying to Weekes' initial post, a fan wrote: "Then get rid of 2 pre season games. They aren't needed." Another added to Weekes' report, stating: "More regular season games? Lol. It's actually remarkable how good the NHL is at trying to squeeze every penny it can out of the now and make the sport worse long term."
Meanwhile, some fans were more receptive of having fewer preseason games, with one noting: "Good, 7-8 preseason games is ridiculous." Another added: "I mean shortening the preseason is good but still don’t think we need 84 games just start the playoffs earlier."
In all, while the reception from fans to the proposed addition of two games has been mixed, it appears that having more games in the regular season is something that reportedly already has been agreed upon.
The next CBA, which is set to run until 2030, already has the 84-game schedule agreed upon, starting next season. As such, players with 100 or more games played can suit up for a maximum of two games while also having fewer preseason games as a whole, per Frank Seravalli.
Looking for more to watch? Peacock has hit shows, movies, live sports, and more. You can watch popular titles like The Traitors, Yellowstone, and Love Island USA, along with golf tours, NFL games, and Premier League matches all in one place. Peacock offers plans starting at $7.99 a month and you can cancel anytime.
As fans await the next CBA ratification, the Panthers will then head to the nation's capital to celebrate their latest Stanley Cup win. Among those on the Panthers is star Matthew Tkachuk, whose will be meeting the president for the second time.
When the team visited the White House in February, Tkachuk made it clear how he felt meeting Donald Trump after winning the Stanley Cup last season.
"Thank you, Mr. President, for having us today," Tkachuk said at the time.
"We greatly appreciate it. Being one of the few Americans who love this country so much, it’s such an incredible day for myself. You wake up every day really grateful to be an American. So, thank you."
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
Hockey News