Seasoned NHL columnist drops hot take on NHLPA agreeing to new CBA terms without any major lockout threat

The NHL and the NHLPA have officially ratified a new four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), extending labor stability through the 2029-30 season. The agreement, announced last month and finalized more than a year before the current CBA’s expiration on September 2026, marks one of the smoothest negotiations in recent NHL history, avoiding the work stoppages that plagued previous deals.

The new CBA, effective from September 16, 2026, introduces several significant changes aimed at enhancing the game’s growth and addressing player and team concerns.

In his Athletic column, seasoned NHL columnist Sean McIndoe expressed skepticism, arguing that the CBA heavily favors owners and asserting that the NHLPA, led by Marty Walsh, offered little resistance.

McIndoe highlighted owners’ gains, more games, shorter contracts, smaller bonuses, and full control of expansion revenue, while dismissing player concessions like payroll taxes and an increased playoff fund as minor.

"The position was summed up perfectly by a player quoted in this excellent piece. “What can we do? There can’t be another lockout,” a quoted player said. “Those don’t go our way. It’s better to get it done.”

“What can we do?” indeed. That’s rational, on some level. But it’s not healthy. And it’s not fair to the players, who are the reason we watch this league. Nobody thinks that Marty Walsh should have come in with guns blazing, trying to recreate the animosity of the Bob Goodenow era. But if this were a hockey fight, it sure looks like the owners wiggled their gloves and the players immediately turtled," McIndoe wrote.

McIndoe further argued that the resulting labor peace reflects players rolling over, allowing owners to tilt the ice further in their favor—a short-term win for fans but a long-term loss for the game.

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Key provisions after the NHL and NHLPA agree on a new CBA

The new NHL and NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, set to take effect in the 2026-27 season, brings a slew of changes that promise to shake up the league’s landscape.

Fans can look forward to a beefier regular season, stretched to 84 games, a move designed to ramp up rivalries. Meanwhile, the preseason gets trimmed down to just four games.

Player contracts are getting a haircut too—re-signings will max out at seven years, and free agents will be capped at six, a shift that’s likely to send more players bouncing between teams. The long-term Injured Reserve will also be reformed, and playoff rosters will now have to stick to the regular-season salary cap, with no exceptions. On the international stage, NHL players are locked in for the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics, a win for fans craving best-on-best hockey.

The deferred compensation will also be prohibited, making contracts cleaner and less prone to financial gymnastics. There will also be a mandatory dress code for game arrivals and departures. Teams will retain draft pick rights until a player reaches the age of 22.