League Business

[Lancer]

New RSN Canadian broadcast deal $11B CDN for 12 years

Revenue that will hopefully offset the CND $ and keep the cap going up.

Is this Betman's final act before retiring or is he going to hang around for two more teams?

He probably rides the league through its next CBA, then wanders of into the sunset.

He makes 9.5-10 million per year. I think he goes as long as he can. He is only 72.

Wow. I did’t realize he made that much.

Given how much he's grown league and owner revenue writ-large, it would be a bargain. He's earned it, IMO.

[Madcombinepilot]

New RSN Canadian broadcast deal $11B CDN for 12 years

Revenue that will hopefully offset the CND $ and keep the cap going up.

Is this Betman's final act before retiring or is he going to hang around for two more teams?

He probably rides the league through its next CBA, then wanders of into the sunset.

He makes 9.5-10 million per year. I think he goes as long as he can. He is only 72.

Wow. I did’t realize he made that much.

Given how much he's grown league and owner revenue writ-large, it would be a bargain. He's earned it, IMO.

Yeah. I agree with that. He grew the league, made it WAY more legit (regarding revenue, TV deals, expansion to new markets, etc)..

If he could some how get rid of refs 'game management' and stop being so smarmy on TV, he would be better

[Hockey Widow]

We would all miss the boos when the Cup is handed out. Or, well, anytime he takes to the ice to talk to the fans.

[Madcombinepilot]

We would all miss the boos when the Cup is handed out. Or, well, anytime he takes to the ice to talk to the fans.

lol.. true.

I will say, he handles the boos well. Its almost entertainment now to watch how he chirps back

[Hockey Widow]

We would all miss the boos when the Cup is handed out. Or, well, anytime he takes to the ice to talk to the fans.

lol.. true.

I will say, he handles the boos well. Its almost entertainment now to watch how he chirps back

Agreed. I have tried so hard to hate him all these years yet I find I have this unwanted respect for him. And I too look forward to hearing the boos and his comebacks, or even encouraging it to be louder.

[Madcombinepilot]

We would all miss the boos when the Cup is handed out. Or, well, anytime he takes to the ice to talk to the fans.

lol.. true.

I will say, he handles the boos well. Its almost entertainment now to watch how he chirps back

Agreed. I have tried so hard to hate him all these years yet I find I have this unwanted respect for him. And I too look forward to hearing the boos and his comebacks, or even encouraging it to be louder.

100%.
I am the same

[Cornuck]

Per @reporterchris and @PierreVLeBrun, paper moves will be eliminated. If a player is loaned to the AHL, they will have to report every single time and they will also have to play 1 AHL game before his NHL club can recalled him.

Bonus for the players who won't be 'papered down' to their AHL salary for a few days. Bonus for the Canucks with the farm so close.

I'm assuming this will be in the next CBA starting 26-27?

[Hockey Widow]

Per @reporterchris and @PierreVLeBrun, paper moves will be eliminated. If a player is loaned to the AHL, they will have to report every single time and they will also have to play 1 AHL game before his NHL club can recalled him.

Bonus for the players who won't be 'papered down' to their AHL salary for a few days. Bonus for the Canucks with the farm so close.

I'm assuming this will be in the next CBA starting 26-27?

Yes the new CBA. 2025-2026 we can still do paper transactions. Personally I think it is a silly change and do not fully understand why they are doing this. If it is some misguided step to prevent cap circumvention then I think they could target other things more egregious. If not for that then I dont kwon why they even care.

Hearing another change will be that the cap applies until the final game of the SCP playoffs thus preventing the Vegas shuffle.

Yes good for teams with farm teams so close.

[Lancer]

We would all miss the boos when the Cup is handed out. Or, well, anytime he takes to the ice to talk to the fans.

lol.. true.

I will say, he handles the boos well. Its almost entertainment now to watch how he chirps back

Agreed. I have tried so hard to hate him all these years yet I find I have this unwanted respect for him. And I too look forward to hearing the boos and his comebacks, or even encouraging it to be louder.

I think he enjoys playing the heel. It’s to the point now where it’s like going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show where booing is part of the expected audience experience.

The game has grown and it hasn’t devolved into farce with the rule changes. He’ll never expand the league further into Canada, but it’s not like hockey in Canada has suffered as a result.

Bettman is the heel who stuck around long enough to become an anti-hero??

[Lancer]

Per @reporterchris and @PierreVLeBrun, paper moves will be eliminated. If a player is loaned to the AHL, they will have to report every single time and they will also have to play 1 AHL game before his NHL club can recalled him.

Bonus for the players who won't be 'papered down' to their AHL salary for a few days. Bonus for the Canucks with the farm so close.

I'm assuming this will be in the next CBA starting 26-27?

Yes the new CBA. 2025-2026 we can still do paper transactions. Personally I think it is a silly change and do not fully understand why they are doing this. If it is some misguided step to prevent cap circumvention then I think they could target other things more egregious. If not for that then I dont kwon why they even care.

Hearing another change will be that the cap applies until the final game of the SCP playoffs thus preventing the Vegas shuffle.

Yes good for teams with farm teams so close.

Moving the farm to Abby was one of the smartest moves the organization has made in recent memory. This latest loophole-closing is further proof.

Now if they could figure out a new practice facility…

[Hockey Widow]

NHL, with the approval of the CHL, looking to move the age from 20-19 for signing ELC. Looking to keep it consistent with other leagues.

[Cornuck]

Looks like the "Playoff Salary Cap" is going to be in effect this. 'bout time.

[Megaterio Llamas]

NHL, NHLPA Lock In CBA Transition Dates
The NHL and NHLPA have finalized the transition schedule for the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, locking in the dates when its key provisions will take effect.

See here for more details on the key changes in the new CBA.

Immediate Implementation (effective for the 25-26 season)

New Playoff Salary Cap
Limits/changes to LTIR, reducing the benefits a team receives in LTIR
No Deferred Compensation (effective Oct 7, 2025)
Restriction on Paper Loans
Restriction on a second retention on a traded contract
AHL Loans for 19 year old players not yet in effect, but an effort is being made to negotiate this with the CHL for the 25-26 season
Four Recall rule
Implementation Prior to 26-27 season

Drafted Players Rights Retentions for 2026 draft
Minor League Compensation Limits (March 1)
NHL Min Salary increases (effective March 1)
ELC Contract Limits (effective March 1)
Mandatory Neck Protection July 1
Entry Level eligibility for European Players (March 1)
Sept 16, 2026 Implementation

Contract Term Limit
Contract Variability Limit
Signing Bonus limit
Emergency Back Up Goalie system
Roster Emergency Exception changes
Performance Bonus eligibility for injured veterans
QO threshold increases
ELC signing Bonus increase
For more details on these specific changes, check out this detailed review.

More details here: https://puckpedia.com/news/new-mou

[Lancer]

Looks like the "Playoff Salary Cap" is going to be in effect this. 'bout time.

Amen. Wonder when we'll see the likes of Pietrangelo again??

[UWSaint]

Yes the new CBA. 2025-2026 we can still do paper transactions. Personally I think it is a silly change and do not fully understand why they are doing this. If it is some misguided step to prevent cap circumvention then I think they could target other things more egregious. If not for that then I dont kwon why they even care.

Here's a theory -- the change is less about cap circumvention and more about the players themselves earning NHL paychecks, which are calculated by days on an NHL roster. The NHL league minimum is about 10 times greater the AHL maximum (if the player is on an ELC, and many players on an ELC make more than league minimum in the AHL). So take a player who is papered down for a total of 7 days through 3 paper transactions, approximately 2.5% of the season. That works out to about $20,000 lost. That's real money to that player who presumably is spending a good chunk of their season getting paid at $75K a year, has not established themselves financially, and who may never make life-changing money playing professional hockey.

Working against this theory is that it assumes the change was at the NHLPA's insistence for the benefit of the ELC players and other waiver-exempt developing prospects, (and a slight benefit to tweeners), and the evidence is that this group isn't who the NHLPA sees as their primary stakeholders... But as I see it, this is a cap circumvention loophole--perhaps the only one--whose closure actually benefits the players. (LTIR related cap loopholes benefit the players; and the rarely used present value loophole gave players more options.) So it is a win-win change for the NHLPA and an ownership group where the majority wants to close some loopholes. Even if the effect on the cap is modest, win-wins are win-wins. And I don't know that the effects are modest, that depends on how many NHL roster player days were being saved by these transactions. I looked briefly for the numbers on that, but didn't see them. Nonetheless, every increase in the $$ that a team could bank for a deadline transaction (and thus just increased the chance a different team would be paying the salary, not that more $$ would be paid to players) is money that would have otherwise gone to kids getting some meaningful scratch with their coffee.