Report: NHL to implement playoff salary cap this season

Long-term injured reserve ploys are no more.

The NHL and NHLPA agreed to bump up the implementation of a playoff salary cap in time for the 2026 post-season, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported on Tuesday.

A post-season salary cap was agreed upon as part of the latest collective bargaining agreement, which is set to kick in for the 2026-27 season.

However, the sides came together to enforce the salary cap immediately as part of a rolling enactment of some new rules.

In the past, teams have stashed players with significant injuries on LTIR until Game 1 of the playoffs when the cap disappeared. The move raised suspicion as it allowed teams to backfill that player’s salary in a trade, while the player often seemed to return right in time for the post-season.

Last season, with Matthew Tkachuk and his $9.5 million cap hit on LTIR, the Florida Panthers added defenceman Seth Jones and forward Brad Marchand ahead of the trade deadline. Tkachuk returned for Game 1 of the first round.

The new rule requires playoff teams to dress a lineup of players whose salaries combined do not surpass the cap for each playoff game. Players who are injured or healthy scratches do not count against the playoff cap.

Meanwhile, the league and union agreed to enforce the softened dress code and changes to players’ ability to endorse wine and spirits starting this season, Seravalli added.

All contracts signed through Sept. 15, 2026, will be subject to the current CBA.