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Gary Bettman Confirms Sweeping Changes to NHL Playoff Salary Cap: Will Start This Season

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 7:12 PM ET

The NHL has been under fire for their playoff salary cap as of late, and now Gary Bettman has confirmed that major changes will begin this season.

Over the past five years, the NHL's rulings on specific things has been under fire, with none more so than teams taking advantage of the Long Term Injured Reserve list, with Tampa Bay, Vegas and Florida all using it to their advantage to win Stanley Cups.

Fans of opposing teams have been furious over the way this has been utilized, but with a new CBA kicking in for the 2026/27 season, it was all but confirmed that Gary Bettman and the NHLPA have outlawed this rule.

Inside the CBA Changes Agreed Upon by NHL and NHLPA

In the new CBA, there have been plenty of changes agreed upon by the NHL and the NHLPA, with most of them being positives for both players and the fans.

The rising salary cap will allow teams to retain their own players more and allow those players to make money, but once again, the loopholes around LTIR were the biggest concern for many.

Why the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Will Mark a Major Shift

That's something that will change immediately, with NHL Insider Frank Seravalli recently noting that the changes around a Stanley Cup Playoffs salary cap will come into effect immediately for the 2025/26 season.

This means that when a team takes the ice in the post-season, they will have a cap for the players allowed to be in the lineup, which will put an end to LTIR loopholes once and for all.

Only time will tell if teams can find other ways around this, but for now, this will be a very popular change among fans as 31 other teams look to knock off the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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