The NHL might be adding more games to its already packed season, with talks underway to bump the schedule from 82 to 84 games. This would be the first major change to the NHL’s regular season length in over 30 years.
League officials and the players’ union are discussing the change as part of their ongoing contract negotiations, according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski and Kevin Weekes.
If approved, the new schedule wouldn’t kick in until fall 2026.
This isn’t completely new territory for the NHL. The league actually tried an 84-game season back in the early 1990s, running it for two years from 1992 to 1994. Back then, teams played two extra games at neutral sites.
But there’s a catch. The players’ union is worried about how those extra games might wear players down over the long season. To help address this, the NHL is thinking about cutting back on preseason games to make up for it.
Some teams have been pushing for schedule changes for a while now. They’re not happy with how many times they play certain division rivals compared to others.
“We’re in really good shape with the negotiations,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said earlier this month. The players’ side agrees – their executive director Marty Walsh says talks have been productive with no major fights brewing.
The schedule change isn’t the only thing they’re talking about. Other possible changes include:
– New rules about contract lengths
– Getting rid of delayed-payment contracts
– Setting up permanent emergency backup goalies
– Changing how teams share revenue
– Tweaking draft pick rules
While all this is happening, Bettman made it clear the league isn’t looking to add any new teams right now. “We have no pending applications and we’re not seeking to initiate a formal process,” he said Wednesday.
The league is also working on its international presence, including bringing back the World Cup of Hockey and planning future All-Star events.
These talks started in April, and they’ve got until September 2026 to figure everything out. That’s when the current agreement expires.
