The NHL and NHL Players' Association are on the verge of extending the collective bargaining agreement more than a year before it expires and expanding the regular season to 84 games. The league and union have been in talks since April and are closing in on a memorandum of understanding addressing a number of high-profile topics long before the

The NHL and NHLPA are in the final stages of agreeing to a four-year extension of the CBA through September 2030, sources confirmed to ESPN.

According to Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the NHL and NHL Players' Association agreed to the key framework for a new collective bargaining agreement, including an 84-game schedule starting in 2026-27 and new contractual rules.