Updated for the 2026-27 NHL season. Long-Term Injured Reserve — better known as LTIR — is one of the most confusing parts of the NHL salary cap. The biggest misconception is that an injured player’s cap hit simply disappears. It does not.
What is LTIR?
LTIR is a salary-cap mechanism available when a player is expected to miss at least 10 NHL games and 24 days of the regular season. It allows a team to exceed the salary-cap ceiling by an amount determined under the CBA’s LTIR calculations.
The injured player’s cap hit remains part of the club’s cap accounting. LTIR instead creates an allowance — commonly called an LTIR pool — that permits the team to operate above the normal ceiling while the player is unavailable.
Why teams try to get close to the cap before using LTIR
The amount of LTIR relief a club can effectively use depends on its cap position when the player is placed on LTIR. That is why teams sometimes make a series of seemingly strange roster moves immediately before opening night or before an LTIR placement: being closer to the ceiling can help maximize the usable LTIR pool.
The major LTIR change affecting 2026-27
The current NHL/NHLPA framework distinguishes between a player expected to return and a player designated as being out for the remainder of both the regular season and playoffs.
For a player who is expected to return, the LTIR benefit is limited by the previous season’s average league salary. For the 2026-27 season, that figure is $3,973,228.
A separate Season-Ending LTIR designation can allow relief up to the injured player’s full cap hit, subject to the normal LTIR calculations, but the player then cannot return during that season’s regular season or playoffs.
Does LTIR create cap space?
Not in the same way normal cap space does. A club actively using LTIR generally does not accrue unused cap room for later in the season. That matters at the trade deadline because a non-LTIR team can build purchasing power over time, while a club operating above the ceiling with LTIR does not receive that same benefit.
What happens when the player returns?
When the injured player is medically cleared and activated, the team must be compliant with the applicable cap rules. In practical terms, that may force the club to waive, trade or reassign other players to make the numbers work.
Can teams still stash stars on LTIR and bring them back for the playoffs?
The new CBA has significantly changed that strategy. Beginning with the 2026-27 postseason, the NHL has a playoff salary-cap system for the players a club dresses in a game. That closes the old loophole where a team could finish the regular season above the cap through LTIR and then activate expensive players for the playoffs without a comparable cap restriction on the dressed lineup.
A simple LTIR example
Imagine a team is operating very close to the salary-cap ceiling and loses a player with a $3 million cap hit for several months. If the player qualifies for LTIR, the team may be able to operate above the normal ceiling by roughly that amount, depending on its exact cap position and the applicable LTIR calculation.
The key point: the injured player’s $3 million does not vanish. The team is being permitted to exceed the ceiling while he is unavailable.
Why LTIR matters to fans
- It affects whether a team can replace an injured player.
- It can change trade-deadline flexibility.
- It influences opening-night roster moves.
- It can create performance-bonus overages for the following season.
- It is now directly connected to the NHL’s new playoff salary-cap rules.
For detailed cap calculations, see PuckPedia’s LTIR guide. The NHL has also outlined the major changes in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
HockeyGamedayTV NHL Explainer Series: Waivers • LTIR • Salary Cap • Retained Salary • No-Trade vs No-Move Clauses • RFA vs UFA
More NHL rules explained: Visit the HockeyGamedayTV NHL Explainer Library for guides to contracts, free agency, waivers, LTIR, trades and the salary cap.
