More details about the new CBA have been revealed. Among the notable changes will be a salary cap in the playoffs, as well as call-up rules for AHL players. One change, however, should be of interest to Vancouver Canucks fans, as it changes how many years a player can sign for both in free agency and via an extension.
In the new CBA, players can only sign for a maximum of seven years. The seven-year contracts are only eligible for players signing extensions who were on the roster as of the previous trade deadline, while six-year deals are available to free agents. As for the old CBA, the same rules applied except that extensions could be eight-year deals, while free agents could sign seven-year contracts.
New contract lengths will have a direct impact on the Canucks, as Quinn Hughes can sign an extension as of July 1, 2026. It is important to note that he will not be a free agent next off-season and that his deal runs for two more years and carries an AAV of $7.85 million. While he doesn't need to sign an extension right away, it would put both the organization and fan base at ease if he signed his new contract as soon as possible, which would also put to bed any trade rumours surrounding the Canucks captain.
According to Frank Seravalli, Vancouver will have less than three months to sign Hughes to an eight-year extension. In a recent post, Seravalli wrote, "Players will have until Sept. 15, 2026 to sign deals with current structure (term, signing bonus, variability). All deals signed after Sept. 16, 2026 will be subject to new CBA."
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Before discussing how much time the Canucks have to sign Hughes, it is important to note that signing an eight-year deal might not be in the cards when it comes to the former Norris Trophy winner. With the cap continuing to rise, the NHL as a whole may see a shift from six or seven year deals to four or five. That being said, Hughes is in store for a significant raise whenever he does sign his new contract and most likely will be the highest-paid defenceman during the 2027-28 season.
Using Seravalli's information, this means that the Canucks have 76 days to sign Hughes to an eight-year extension. Just like the current situation with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, this also means that there will be non-stop speculation if Vancouver's captain is not signed before September 16, 2026. In the end, it is safe to say that fans will be keeping an eye on their calendars next summer, hoping that Hughes has signed an eight-year contract before the new rules come into effect.
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