Examining NHL changing LTIR rules for playoffs, Connor McDavid’s future in Edmonton

This week on The Hockey Show it was time to look into some changes coming to the NHL next season.

THN hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork got into several topics, including perhaps the most impactful alteration that could impact any and every team.

Teams can no longer use LTIR to exceed the salary cap during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, something that worked well to Florida’s advantage during their 2025 Stanely Cup run.

When Matthew Tkachuk missed much of the second half of season after being injured during the 4 Nations Face-Off, Florida was able to add to their roster thanks to Tkachuk’s AAV going on LTIR and not counting against the cap.

When he returned for the playoffs, it didn’t matter that the Panthers would’ve been over the cap, as it’s not counted against during the playoffs.

Or at least, it wasn’t. Until now.

Roy and Dave were also joined by Prime NHL host Adnan Virk to chat about Connor McDavid’s future in Edmonton, the expanding regular-season schedule and lots more.

You can check out the full episode in the videos below:

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