Big NHL Changes Coming - Front Office Sports

Afternoon Edition

June 27, 2025

A new NHL CBA has been agreed to, ushering in two additional games per season, shorter contracts, and an elimination of the pre- and post-game dress code (all equally important). We examine the effects these changes will have.

—Meredith Turits, Margaret Fleming, Colin Salao, and David Rumsey

New NHL CBA Set to Add Games, Shorten Contracts

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The NHL and NHLPA have reached a labor deal that will run through the end of the decade.

Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh announced the four-year extension to the collective bargaining agreement—which will begin with the 2026–27 season and extend through September 2030—at a press conference ahead of Friday’s NHL draft in Los Angeles.

“We can all look forward to at least five years more of labor peace of players’ association and the NHL working together,” Bettman said. “While we didn’t agree on everything, we had a very constructive, professional, and collaborative collective bargaining process.”

The agreement is not expected to change the current CBA terms for the upcoming 2025–26 season, but will rather kick in when the current agreement expires. The sides have not yet formally ratified the deal, which can sometimes take months after a memorandum of agreement.

The new terms cover a lot of ground, including creating uniform team rights to draft picks until age 22, improving player benefits, establishing a full-time emergency backup goalie, and even eliminating the team dress code. But two major elements stand out.

The first is the extension of the regular season to 84 games beginning in 2026–27, marking the addition of two contests. Concurrently, this will halve the number of preseason games to four per team.

Player contract terms will now also be limited. Players who re-sign with their current franchises will only be able to sign a deal of up to seven years instead of eight; free agents will have contracts limited to six years instead of seven. As players go into this year’s free-agency stretch for the 2025–2026 season, they’ll still be able to sign for eight years.

It’s a change worth watching closely as major stars move into free agency and make decisions about contract length. The current top free agent is Mitch Marner, who is unlikely to return to Toronto; some reports have indicated Marner may be pursuing a two- or three-year deal with a new team, instead of the longer contract that most recent top free agents have sought. Next year, superstar Connor McDavid will become a UFA if he chooses not to sign an extension with Edmonton by July 1 and instead enter the final year of his contract. He would negotiate a new contract as his eight-year deal with the Oilers ends; it’s unclear whether he will stay in Edmonton or seek a new deal outside the organization, but the new contract length rules could factor into his decision. Deferred-salary contracts, an increasing trend, will also be banned.

For more on the new CBA and what Bettman had to say about potential expansion teams, read our full story here.

This Is Atlassian Williams Racing

Two powerhouse teams are joining forces for one epic goal. Atlassian is thrilled to become the Official Title Partner and Official Technology Partner of Atlassian Williams Racing.

This is a partnership for the ages. As many of you know, Formula One is defined by high-stakes teamwork and innovation—and both Atlassian and Williams Racing were founded on those same principles.

For more than 20 years, Atlassian has been working alongside the highest-performing teams in the world developing and refining a System of Work for modern teams to work more effectively together. And now, in partnership with Williams and as part of a global community of F1 fans, we’re ready to turbo-charge teamwork on the racetrack.

Mercedes Pursuing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen As Russell’s Contract Expires

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With the 2025 Formula One season nearing its halfway point, uncertainty is growing around which teams several of the sport’s most popular and highest-paid drivers will compete for in 2026.

Mercedes is openly pursuing Max Verstappen, who is under contract with Red Bull through 2028. The contracts of both Mercedes drivers, George Russell and his 18-year-old teammate Kimi Antonelli, expire after this season.

“As a team principal responsible for the best car brand in the world it is clear you’re exploring what a four-time world champion is going to do in the future, and that could be a long time in the future,” Mercedes principal Toto Wolff told Sky Sports on Friday. “But that has no effect on us putting a signature on George’s contract.”

Wolff’s comments came after Russell on Thursday sparked new discord by first revealing Mercedes is in discussions with Verstappen.

“As Mercedes, they want to be back on top, and if you’re going to be back on top, you need to make sure you’ve got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that’s what Mercedes are chasing,” Russell told Sky Sports. “So, it’s only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. But from my side, if I’m performing as I’m doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula 1 team.”

Wolff added, “These drivers are clever people and they talk to each other. I’m always open about these things, and I’m saying it how it is and there’s no such thing as saying, ‘We are going to sign Max,’ because it’s so far away that it’s not realistic at that stage. So with George, we talk about everything.”

State of Play

Mercedes heads into this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix in a distant second place in the constructors’ standings behind grid leader McLaren. Russell is fourth in the drivers’ standings and Antonelli is seventh.

During his media session with reporters Thursday, Russell expanded on Wolff’s strategy for a 2026 lineup: “I guess he needs to think, who are those two drivers going to be for those two seats, and I guess that’s what the delay is.” Wolff first expressed interest in trying to sign Verstappen away from Red Bull during a scene on the most recent season of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, which recapped the 2024 F1 season.

Russell, 27, is set to earn $23 million from his Mercedes salary and bonuses this season, according to multiple reports. But he could be in line for a major raise in his next contract, given his improving performance. Verstappen tops all F1 drivers with $75 million in reported earnings this year, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton is at $70 million.

Verstappen didn’t want to talk about Russell’s claims when asked by reporters Thursday. “I’ve had that question before as well in my life. I don’t think we need to talk about that. You want me to repeat what I said last year? Again, it’s not really in my mind. I’m just driving, trying to push the performance, and then we focus on next year.”

Beyond a potential Mercedes move, Verstappen earlier this year was linked to a potential three-year, $300 million deal to drive for Aston Martin’s F1 team.

As Wimbledon Approaches, Sinner and Alcaraz Solidify New Era

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Men’s tennis has been searching for a worthy replacement to the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. It took two decades—and two retirements—but it appears as though the new era has begun with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

From Wimbledon in 2003 to the US Open in 2023, the Big Three won 66 of a possible 81 Grand Slam titles. The longest consecutive streak when at least one didn’t claim a Grand Slam was just two—between Wimbledon and the US Open in 2016. Nadal missed Wimbledon and Federer missed the US Open that year due to injury.

Federer retired in 2022 and Nadal retired in November, while the 38-year-old Djokovic is still chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title. But Sinner and Alcaraz, the current Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, respectively, have won the last six Grand Slam tournaments dating back to the Australian Open that opened the 2024 major calendar.

Entering Wimbledon on Monday, Alcaraz (+145) and Sinner (+175) are the prohibitive favorites following a record-long, five-set showcase at the French Open final less than a month ago.

The 22-year-old Alcaraz also has the opportunity to win his third consecutive Wimbledon, a feat last achieved by Djokovic, who won four straight times from 2018 to 2022 (2020 was canceled due to COVID-19), and Federer, who won five consecutive times from 2003 to 2007.

Earnings Show Longevity Matters

Alcaraz and Sinner will also be competing for Wimbledon’s record first prize of $4.1 million (£3 million), five times as much as the prize in 2003 when Federer first broke through at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Even adjusted for inflation, this year’s first prize is still worth about three times as much as Federer’s 2003 winnings.

It’s no surprise that Sinner and Alcaraz, despite both being under 24 years old, are already in the top 10 in career earnings. Alcaraz is No. 7 all-time with $45.3 million and Sinner is No. 9 with $41.5 million.

However, both are still a ways from matching Djokovic, who leads all tennis players with $187.9 million. Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer are the three highest earners, each with at least twice as much as fourth-place Andy Murray.

The earnings gap shows that while Alcaraz and Sinner are bridging a new era, they’ll also need sustained dominance to truly match the Big Three.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS NETWORK

Paige Bueckers Talks Favorite NIL Deals

In this episode of NILOSOPHY, Deja Kelly sits down with Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, for an unfiltered interview. From dominating at UConn to navigating injuries, NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals, and building a brand off the court—Paige shares it all.

Paige talks about why she declined an additional year of eligibility at UConn, how she built a multimillion-dollar NIL brand from scratch, and the real business behind NIL deals, social media, and agents. She also discusses what it’s like to get drafted and play for the Dallas Wings; behind-the-scenes stories from working with companies like Nike, Gatorade, and Verizon; and why she’s fighting for change in the WNBA’s next CBA.

Paige also reflects on the power of relationships, her coach Geno Auriemma’s evolution in the NIL era, and the real mental toll of being a public figure at the top of the game.

Watch Episode 8 now.

STATUS REPORT

One Up, Two Down, One Push

The Indianapolis Star

Indiana Fever ⬇ Caitlin Clark has been ruled out of the team’s game Friday against the Dallas Wings, which was supposed to be the first professional game between Clark and Paige Bueckers. In preparation for Clark’s appearance, the Wings moved the game to the American Airlines Center, home of the NBA’s Mavericks, for the first time in franchise history. Ticket prices for the game plummeted Thursday afternoon after Clark was ruled out of the Fever’s game Thursday against the Connecticut Sun. Friday’s game will air on Ion.

Texas State ⬆ The Sun Belt Conference school is expected to accept an invite from the Pac-12 to join the rebuilding league in 2026. An official announcement is now anticipated on Monday, after the university called a special board meeting to vote on the move.

Chiefs ⬆⬇ The NFL franchise is seeking an extension of the June 30 deadline for deciding on a deal for stadium funding from the state of Missouri. That deadline could now be pushed back to July 7.

Formula One on ESPN ⬇ The network has “little interest” in increasing the $85 million per year it’s paying for the rights to F1, according to CNBC. ESPN’s deal to broadcast F1 in the U.S. ends after this season.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY

NBA Insider Bobby Marks Names Draft Winners and Losers

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The dust has settled from the NBA draft, and No. 5 pick Ace Bailey still doesn’t seem that jazzed to be in Utah. Will the former Rutgers star even play for his new team, and what are his options if he doesn’t show up? Also, which teams made great selections and which dropped the ball? ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks joins Baker Machado and Derryl Barnes to give his draft winners and losers, as well as answer whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will return to the Bucks next season.

Plus, after three lockouts over the last 20 years, the NHL and NHLPA have agreed to a new CBA through 2030 that will include an 84-game regular season in 2026. FOS editorial director of features Meredith Turits breaks down the new deal, which includes a solution for emergency goalies and the maximum length for player contracts.

And Apple’s $200 million film F1 finally hits theaters this week. Will the blockbuster starring Brad Pitt bring new fans to the sport?

Watch the full episode here.

Taking on Texas This July

Join Front Office Sports and RBC Wealth Management on July 22–23 for two afternoons full of networking and thought leadership surrounding the All-Star Game in Austin, Texas.

RBC House will bring the Front Office Sports brand to life with a Second Acts showcase and first-time live broadcasts of Redefined and FOS Today.

We’ll also host timely discussions with top soccer executives and innovators on the sport’s rapidly growing U.S. presence—exploring how the World Cup can be a catalyst for long-term momentum across leagues, teams, and communities.

Learn more or register to attend here.