The National Hockey League has just entered a bold new era. With Commissioner Gary Bettman officially ratifying a fresh Collective Bargaining Agreement, sweeping changes are now on the horizon for teams across the league—including the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This landmark agreement promises to reshape the NHL’s landscape, not just in terms of business and player relations, but also in how fans experience the game. Among the most significant updates is a major overhaul of the regular-season schedule, set to take effect in the 2026/27 season.

For the Penguins and their rivals, the shift from 82 to 84 games means more high-stakes divisional matchups and a shortened pre-season, a move that’s expected to intensify rivalries and boost excitement both on and off the ice. As the league continues to grow and evolve, these changes signal a commitment to innovation and fan engagement, setting the stage for a thrilling new chapter in NHL history.

Photo credit: The Denver Post

Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL officially ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and now, it means the Pittsburgh Penguins will play extra divisional games in the near future as a result of a major schedule change.

On Tuesday, the NHL officially announced a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, a move that is likely going to work out for fans, teams and the league itself, with the business of the National Hockey League continuing to boom.

Now, a further update on the entire situation reveals changes for individual teams, with changes to the NHL schedule coming as soon as the 2026/27 season, and it’s one fans have been asking for over the past few years.

According to reports, the schedule will now go from 82 games to 84, with teams all getting an extra two divisional games per year, with this likely to coincide with the shortening of the current six game pre-season to around 3 or 4 per season.

On paper, this seems like a fair trade off for players, as they get a much shorter pre-season coming into the year, and with the NHL looking to prioritize division rivalries moving forward, getting two more games between divisional foes will never be a bad thing, with the team, the arena and the league all benefiting from this new setup.

As mentioned, the schedule won’t change until 2026/27, meaning that this upcoming year is the final one in league history with just 82 games played per team, and while there’s always a chance of going back to that if this doesn’t work out, with 32 teams now in the league and expansion talks ongoing, all signs point to this change sticking around.