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The NHL has expanded its definition of ‘pre-season veteran players’ under the new CBA

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

By Ryan Pike

Sep 20, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 20, 2026, 02:11 EDT

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Friends, the Calgary Flames begin their 2026-27 exhibition schedule on Sunday evening when they host the Seattle Kraken.

As NHL clubs kick off their pre-seasons, they’re navigating a series of new rules as we begin the first year of a new collective bargaining agreement. We’ve discussed the limits being placed on players who’ve suited up for 100 or more NHL games – they’re limited to two pre-season appearances – but the NHL, likely to add some flexibility to teams after taking some away with those 100-gamer restrictions, has expanded what constitutes a “veteran player” for pre-season purposes.

Jason Gregor

@JasonGregor

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What constitutes a veteran for NHL preseason games has changed. Here is the new criteria. AHL games count now.

5:06 PM · Sep 19, 2026

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Via Jason Gregor from Daily Faceoff Edmonton (and Sports 1440), here’s the new definition:

(Everyone is listed in first category that applies to them.)

Players that have played in 100+ NHL career games (Can only play two pre-season games)

22: Dustin Wolf, Devin Cooley, Kevin Bahl, Simon Nemec, Jake Middleton, Zach Whitecloud, Joel Hanley, Brayden Pachal, Andreas Englund, Morgan Frost, Matt Coronato, Mikael Backlund, Joel Farabee, Connor Zary, Ryan Strome, Yegor Sharangovich, Maxim Tsyplakov, Martin Pospisil, Adam Klapka, Dryden Hunt, Alex Nylander and Jonathan Huberdeau

Players that have played in 400+ combined NHL and AHL career games

2: Alex Gallant and Ben Jones

Skaters that played in 30+ NHL games last season

4: Matvei Gridin, Yan Kuznetsov, Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz

Goaies that played in 30+ NHL games (or dressed in 50+ NHL games) last season

Not applicable

First-round draft picks from the last five drafts (2022-26)

1: Samuel Honzek

Second-round draft picks from the last three drafts (2024-26)

2: Andrew Basha and Chase Harrington

(Of the 48 players currently in Flames camp, 31 fall into one of the “veteran” categories.)

The old definition, for the curious, was a bit more narrow:

Skaters that played in 30+ NHL games last season
Goaies that played in 30+ NHL games (or dressed in 50+ NHL games) last season
First-round draft picks from the most recent year’s draft
Players that have played in 100+ NHL career games

In each pre-season games, teams are required to play at least eight players that fall into these veteran categories. Again, it’s worth emphasizing that players in the first category – those that have played in 100 or more NHL games in their careers – can only play in two pre-season games per year.

If you assume that the Flames, like most teams, are going to roll with their likely opening night roster in their final pre-season game, they effectively have to ration their veteran players’ remaining appearances over the other three pre-season games.

It’s a bit of a juggling act, and we’ll do our best to help everyone keep track as the Flames – and all of the rest of us – try to muddle our way through the first pre-season of this new CBA.

The Flames kick off the 2026-27 pre-season at home against Seattle on Sunday night.

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