The new CBA rollout gives the Canucks two major advantages in extending Quinn Hughes

The success and rapidity with which the NHL and the NHLPA reached an agreement on their next collective bargaining agreement this summer was great news for anyone. It ensures labour peace from now until 2030 – and for a sport that’s suffered through multiple lockouts, that’s a big deal.

However, the latest understanding reached between the two sides, which includes an agreement on the timeline of the new CBA and when its changes will take effect, contains even greater news for one franchise in particular – and it’s the Vancouver Canucks.

In short, the NHL and NHLPA have agreed that all the rule and regulation changes entailed in the new CBA will be rolled out over the next year. Some major changes, like the institution of a salary cap in the playoffs, will take effect immediately and apply to the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Other changes will take effect on September 16, 2026. And two of those changes will give the Canucks two major advantages when it comes to their most important task: extending captain Quinn Hughes before his current contract expires as of the summer of 2027.

The first such change is one that has already been reported and is now explicitly tied to September 16 – a change in the maximum contract length.

As of right now, the Canucks can offer Hughes a contract with a maximum length of eight years. However, that changes as of September 16, and the maximum length then becomes seven years for a player re-signing with their own team and six years for anyone signing with a new team.

In other words, between July 1 – when Hughes becomes eligible for an extension – and September 16, 2026, the Canucks will have an exclusive two-and-a-half-month window with which to offer Hughes an eight-year deal.

Barring a trade, they’re the only team that will be able to offer him a contract of that length. In fact, if he decides to test the market as a UFA, he’ll drop all the way down from a maximum of eight years to a maximum of six. And, sure, two years might not sound like a massive difference, but it is when you’re talking about the sort of salary that Hughes can demand.

Imagine, for example, he signs a deal with an AAV of about $15 million, something that is well within the realm of possibility. An eight-year deal with a $15 million AAV is going to entail an extra $30 million in income compared to a six-year contract.

That’s a vast, currently Canucks-exclusive advantage. But it might not be enough to get the deal done on its own. We’ve heard this summer that one of Hughes’ brothers, Luke, is attempting to sign an extension that will end in 2030, when their other brother, Jack, sees his current contract end.

If Quinn is of the same mind, then he’d want to sign a three-year extension, anyway, and there’s not much advantage to being able to offer an eight-year deal. Under that scenario, Hughes would probably be figuring he’d make up that extra $30 million – and maybe more – on his next contract.

However, there is a second, less-reported component to these CBA changes that also takes effect as of September 16, 2026, and it gives the Canucks an even greater advantage when it comes to extending Hughes. This change involves signing bonuses.

As of right now, signing bonuses have very few limitations. So long as a player’s base salary is the league minimum of $775,000, then the rest of their contract’s value can be entirely in signing bonuses – and for star players, that’s often the case.

But as of September 16, 2026, all signing bonuses will be capped at 60% of the value of a player’s contract.

Signing bonuses hold several distinct benefits for players in comparison to their base salary. Signing bonuses are paid out in lump sums, often right at the start of a season. One doesn’t have to be a multi-millionaire to understand that getting your money into your own pocket sooner is always beneficial, allowing for greater interest and investment income.

But signing bonuses are an especially large deal for American athletes playing for Canadian franchises, like Hughes.

According to Article XVI of the tax treaty between Canada and the United States, signing bonuses for artists and athletes count as “inducements to sign,” not income, and are thus taxed at a reduced flat rate of 15%. Compare that with the top federal income tax bracket of 33%, and the swing is considerable. We’re talking the potential to cut one’s tax burden in half, and then some, which for someone signing a contract as large as Hughes would translate to millions of dollars.

It’s true that this is a bigger deal for Americans playing in Canada, but it applies nearly across the board to some degree. Aside from certain tax havens, like Florida, where income tax is already at a minimum, signing bonuses are almost always taxed less than regular income.

Signing bonuses also have the extra advantage of being lockout-proof – they’re paid out regardless of any labour stoppages – and buyout-proof, in that they still have to be paid out even if a player’s contract is bought out. Not that Hughes ever needs to worry about a buyout, but still, that’s another advantage.

If Hughes signs an extension before September 16, 2026, then his contract could theoretically be almost entirely paid in signing bonuses. If he signs after September 16, he’s limited to that 60% signing bonus cap. In other words, the Canucks have the exclusive ability to offer Hughes almost 40% more of his contract value in signing bonuses.

Put it all together, and the Canucks will have a two-and-a-half-month window between July 1 and September 16 during which they may offer Hughes eight years instead of six, representing about $30 million in extra value, AND offer him far more of his contract in the form of signing bonuses, which translates to a drastic increase in what Hughes actually takes home.

It’s true that all of this may not be enough to convince Hughes to stay. The reality is that he’ll be able to make a good living anywhere he goes, and if his heart is truly set on leaving, he’ll still probably leave. But what this CBA timeline rollout really means is that it is the Canucks who will be able to offer Hughes the largest contract, and by a fairly large degree. What more could they ask for?

It’s worth mentioning here, too, that even if Hughes indicates next summer that his preference is to leave, that two-and-a-half-month window applies to any team that might trade for him, too. At the very least, that would make Hughes a significantly more valuable trade asset, should it come to that.

But let’s not focus on the worst-case scenario. The Canucks will be able to offer Hughes tens of millions more dollars than any other franchise.

And, hey, when was the last time anyone can remember the NHL and NHLPA conspiring to give the Canucks an advantage like this?