Hockey fans will soon get to enjoy more of the sport during the NHL season.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported on Thursday that “Sources indicate the NHL and NHLPA are putting the final touches on a Memorandum of Understanding for a four-year extension to their Collective Bargaining Agreement, the framework of which could be announced as soon as Friday ahead of the Draft.”
Seravalli also detailed several modifications will likely come with the new agreement. From the hockey fan’s perspective, the most notable reported change coming is an expansion of the regular season by two games.
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.
With the exceptions of a 48-game lockout-shortened season in 2012-13 and the COVID-19 altered 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, the NHL season has been 82 games since 1995-96.
This will not be the first time the league has had an 84-game regular season. The NHL played 84 games in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, an increase from the 80-game seasons that were played from the 1974-75 through 1991-92 seasons.
The NHL moved to 82 games following a lockout-shortened 48-game season in 1994-95.