Back to the Bargaining Table: NHL CBA Negotiations in 2025

Written by pcciotta

With the current terms set to expire on September 15, 2026, the NHL Players Association (“NHLPA”) and the NHL will begin discussions on a new collective bargaining agreement in 2025.^[1] NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman both believe that a new deal will be finalized before the expiration date.^[2]

Negotiations are underway and, last week, the NHL announced significant salary cap increases running through 2028. “The salary cap will be $95.5 million (2025-26), $104 million (2026-27) and $113.5 million (2027-28).”^[3] Walsh expects the increase to be received positively by both players and fans. “They haven’t seen this type of growth – ever.”^[4]

So what’s on the table? The last CBA negotiations occurred in 2020 during COVID-19 shutdown, focusing on return-to-play protocols.^[5] In 2020, the NHL faced bleak financials and uncertainty “for a sport quite dependent on gate revenue.”^[6] This next round of CBA discussions will undoubtedly be more focused on growth. The NHL recorded record revenues last season at $6.2 billion with the league also hitting new highs in attendance and sponsorship revenue. ^[7]

The biggest issue for the players, not surprisingly, is how the league will continue to “grow the pie.”^[8] According to one player, “[i]t’s not overly complicated at this point: we need to grow revenue.”^[9]

So how does the NHL continue to do that? The NHL and NHLPA currently have a 50-50 split on hockey related revenue.^[10] Ultimately, an increase for the players may come via an increased salary cap, a cut of future expansion fees if the league continues to add new teams, or even a decrease/elimination of escrow payments.^[11] Players have also expressed optimism about the presence of Amazon in the NHL and its production of the insider show “Faceoff.”^[12]

Other topics in the negotiations may include changes in the season’s schedule, playoff format, and whether players or teams should get the final say over a player’s medical rights.^[13]

If both sides can come to a resolution by June, “there is nothing that prevents a new CBA from going into effect before the prior one is completed.”^[14] Only time will tell if a deal gets done this summer, but the NHL and NHLPA appear ready and eager to grow “the pie.”

^[1] https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins/latest-news/marty-walsh-discusses-4-nations-salary-cap-cba

^[2] Id.

^[3] Id.

^[4] Id.

^[5] https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/42175769/nhl-nhlpa-collective-bargaining-agreement-key-debates-schedule-revenue-olympics

^[6] Id.

^[7] Id.

^[8] Id.

^[9] Id.

^[10] Id.

^[11] Id.

^[12] Id.