Anonymous NHL player Q&A: How do they really feel about the new CBA?

On Thursday, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli shared news of the NHL and NHLPA’s plans to announce the framework for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement on Friday.

There were two main details in the report that stuck out above the rest:

• The NHL will move to 84-game regular seasons beginning in 2026-27. The preseason will be shortened, to an expected four games per team, and players with 100-plus career games played can play in a maximum of two preseason games.
• Player contracts will be term limited to a maximum of seven years for players re-signing with their current clubs and six years for players on the free agent market. The 2025-26 season (next week’s free agency) will mark the final eight-year deals in the NHL.

So how do NHL players really feel about these changes? We reached out to some under the promise of anonymity to get their honest and unfiltered thoughts.

Question: What are your thoughts on an 84-game season and pre-season being cut by two games?

“Pre-season is a waste of time anyway. By the end of it, plus a long training camp, some guys can barely catch their breath as we head into the season.”

“Shorter the better. Was always in favor of a shorter season and not having the Cup awarded in late June.”

“As long as the preseason is shorter it’s nice. As a veteran you only want to get into one or two games max.”

“Shorter pre-season is great! There will also be another break for the Olympics and World Cup of Hockey over the next few years, so I can see why they want more games on the schedule.”

Question: How do you feel about seven-year contracts now being the max and six if you’re an unrestricted free agent?

“7-year deals makes the league more competitive quicker.”

“General managers are going to really see if they want to commit now even on a six-year deal.”

“You see guys already taking shorter term deals and I feel like as players we are now starting to feel like we have some leverage here.”

“A lot of young guys won’t like this. There are some deals out there that some of us still shake our heads at.”

Question: Anything else from today’s report you want to comment on or get off your chest?

“The salary cap’s going up, lots of TV money coming in as well as potential expansion. The league is in a good place.”

“Honestly, playing into late June is still wild to me. Shortening the preseason is nice, but the regular season has to end earlier too.”

“Seems like all we got is the freedom to wear whatever we want,” added one player, commenting on another detail from the report that teams will no longer be able to mandate player dress code for arriving to or departing from games.