New rumored NHL CBA could involve more games, shorter contracts

The NHL is on the doorstep of introducing a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that could have some major changes that would affect the Colorado Avalanche and the rest of the league. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the new agreement could be announced by Friday.

The two biggest aspects of the potential agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA are an extended regular season and a limit on the maximum amount of years on any given contract, both of which would have impacts on the Avalanche. With the current NHL CBA set to expire on Sept. 15, 2026, these new changes would go into effect for the 2026-27 season.

For a team that has struggled to stay 100% healthy by the time the playoffs roll around, an extended regular season means more good than bad. Especially with an aging Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog who is likely to have some type of load management next year, more games equals more chances to get injured. In return, the preseason would be shortened from six games to four, and veterans who have played in at least 100 games in their career would be limited to a maximum of just two preseason games.

The format of the regular season schedule would stay roughly the same, with Colorado playing each Eastern Conference team two times and each divisional opponent four times, likely creating an extra two games against Pacific Division opponents like Edmonton and Vegas.

The agreement is also set to limit any new contract to a maximum of seven years for players who re-sign with a team and six years for players gong to a new team in free agency. This would make contracts like MacKinnon’s and former Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen’s impossible to agree upon nowadays, limiting financial stability far down the line for players while adding an incentive to stay home.

Colorado could’ve used that rule back in January to keep the Moose around before he went to Dallas on the same contract.

Another small, but fun, tweak in the proposed agreement is the removal of dress codes on game days. The Avalanche players have always been looking clean and crisp in their suits heading down the tunnel before a game, but this change would potentially allow for some personality to creep through the hallways of Ball Arena and let the guys express themselves somewhat.

While it’s unlikely that the levels of fashion in the NHL reach an extreme level like in the NBA, there will still be good opportunities for players to branch out.

There’s a lot more good than bad in this new proposed agreement, but it would have a lot of effects on the Avalanche and the rest of the NHL. While nothing is officially set in stone, it seems likely that these changes will be approved and go into effect just over a year from now. On the bright side, there’s no proposed second apron, a phrase and a barrier that has greatly affected the Denver Nuggets and taken the NBA by storm as teams continue to blow up their championship rosters to avoid tax penalties.

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