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An 84-game season is among the changes coming to the NHL as part of the new labor deal
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The Florida Panthers won their second straight NHL Stanley Cup championship on Tuesday night, defeating the Edmonton Oilers. Fans and players could be seen celebrating into the morning in Fort Lauderdale. - photo by AP Video/Daniel Kozin
An 84-game season is coming to the NHL as part of an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, which could be announced as soon as Friday before the first round of the draft. The league and the NHL Players’ Association are on the verge of reaching a deal that two people told The Associated Press on Thursday includes adding two games to the regular season, shortening the maximum length of contracts players can sign and implementing a salary cap in the playoffs for the first time. The NHL and NHLPA began negotiations in earnest this spring after agreeing at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February to jointly hold a World Cup of Hockey in 2028.