NHL Keeper League Rules
2026/27 proposal · Reference rules for NHL Keeper League.
2026/27 Offseason Schedule
| May 1, 2026 | GM check-in |
|---|---|
| May 2 | New rule proposal submission deadline |
| May 6 | TAB review deadline; NHL Entry Draft Lottery |
| May 7 | Draft order finalized; proposals released for league review |
| May 14 | New rules determined |
| May 15 | GM check-in closes |
| May 16 | Replacement-GM search begins if needed; rules document issued; trading opens |
| May 31 | Re-signs open |
| July 6 | Legal pre-draft roster deadline, including minors; no players on IR |
| July 7 | NHLKL Entry Draft begins |
| July 30 | Draft ends; inherited picks assigned |
| July 31 | Re-sign period ends; inherited picks confirmed or released |
| August 3 | Unsigned players released; free-agent budgets set |
| August 14 | Free agency begins |
| September 1 | Offseason free agency ends; in-season free agency and waiver rules begin |
| September (TBD) | New season begins. “X” denotes a date still to be determined. |
Re-sign Rubric Tables
Skater Rubric — FPts/Game
| Range | Tier | Consistency 1 | Consistency 2 | Consistency 3 | Max term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1.0 | 0 | $500,000 | $750,000 | $800,000 | 4 years |
| 1.1 | 1 | $800,000 | $900,000 | $1,000,000 | 4 years |
| 1.2 | 2 | $1,000,000 | $1,250,000 | $1,500,000 | 4 years |
| 1.3 | 3 | $1,500,000 | $1,750,000 | $2,000,000 | 4 years |
| 1.4 | 4 | $2,000,000 | $2,250,000 | $2,500,000 | 4 years |
| 1.5 | 5 | $2,500,000 | $2,750,000 | $3,000,000 | 4 years |
| 1.6 | 6 | $3,000,000 | $3,250,000 | $3,500,000 | 4 years |
| 1.7 | 7 | $3,500,000 | $3,750,000 | $4,000,000 | 4 years |
| 1.8 | 8 | $4,000,000 | $4,250,000 | $4,500,000 | 4 years |
| 1.9 | 9 | $4,500,000 | $4,750,000 | $5,000,000 | 4 years |
| 2.0 | 10 | $5,000,000 | $5,250,000 | $5,500,000 | 4 years |
| 2.1 | 11 | $5,500,000 | $5,750,000 | $6,000,000 | 4 years |
| 2.2 | 12 | $6,000,000 | $6,250,000 | $6,500,000 | 4 years |
| 2.3 | 13 | $6,500,000 | $6,750,000 | $7,000,000 | 4 years |
| 2.4 | 14 | $7,000,000 | $7,250,000 | $7,500,000 | 4 years |
| 2.5 | 15 | $7,500,000 | $7,750,000 | $8,000,000 | 4 years |
| 2.6 to 2.7 | 16 | $8,000,000 | $8,250,000 | $8,500,000 | 4 years |
| 2.8 to 2.9 | 17 | $8,500,000 | $8,750,000 | $9,000,000 | 4 years |
| 3.0 to 3.19 | 18 | $9,000,000 | $9,250,000 | $9,500,000 | 4 years |
| 3.2 and up | 19 | $9,500,000 | $9,750,000 | $10,000,000 | 4 years |
Goalie Re-sign Rubric — FPts/Season
| Range | Tier | Consistency 1 | Consistency 2 | Consistency 3 | Max term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 24.99 | 0 | $500,000 | $750,000 | $800,000 | 1 years |
| 25 to 49.99 | 1 | $1,000,000 | $1,250,000 | $1,500,000 | 2 years |
| 50 to 99.99 | 2 | $1,500,000 | $1,750,000 | $2,000,000 | 2 years |
| 100 to 109.99 | 3 | $2,000,000 | $2,250,000 | $2,500,000 | 2 years |
| 110 to 119.99 | 4 | $2,500,000 | $2,750,000 | $3,000,000 | 2 years |
| 120 to 129.99 | 5 | $3,000,000 | $3,250,000 | $3,500,000 | 2 years |
| 130 to 139.99 | 6 | $3,500,000 | $3,750,000 | $4,000,000 | 2 years |
| 140 to 149.99 | 7 | $4,000,000 | $4,250,000 | $4,500,000 | 2 years |
| 150 to 159.99 | 8 | $4,500,000 | $4,750,000 | $5,000,000 | 2 years |
| 160 to 169.99 | 9 | $5,000,000 | $5,250,000 | $5,500,000 | 2 years |
| 170 to 179.99 | 10 | $5,500,000 | $5,750,000 | $6,000,000 | 2 years |
| 180 to 189.99 | 11 | $6,000,000 | $6,250,000 | $6,500,000 | 2 years |
| 190 to 199.99 | 12 | $6,500,000 | $6,750,000 | $7,000,000 | 2 years |
| 200 to 209.99 | 13 | $7,000,000 | $7,250,000 | $7,500,000 | 2 years |
| 210 to 219.99 | 14 | $7,500,000 | $7,750,000 | $8,000,000 | 2 years |
| 220 to 229.99 | 15 | $8,000,000 | $8,250,000 | $8,500,000 | 2 years |
| 230 to 239.99 | 16 | $8,500,000 | $8,750,000 | $9,000,000 | 2 years |
| 240 and up | 17 | $9,000,000 | $9,250,000 | $9,500,000 | 2 years |
Each additional permitted contract year adds $250,000. Goalie Tier 0 is limited to one year.
1. League Basics
1.1–1.2 Scoring
Head-to-head, points-based scoring. Each scoring period produces a win, loss, or tie based on fantasy points.
Skaters
- Goals: 2
- Assists: 1.5
- Points: 0.25
- Game-winning goals: 3
- Penalty minutes: 0.25
- Plus/minus: 0.25
- Hits: 0.1
- Blocked shots: 0.1
Goalies
- Shutouts: 5
- Wins: 4
- Goals against: -1
- Saves: 0.1
1.3 Salary Cap
The flat cap is $65 million. Players in the minors or on IR do not count. Two weeks before the trade deadline, each team receives a temporary $5 million cap credit; the cap returns to $65 million after the season.
1.4 Rosters and Minors
Every team must keep a full roster: at least 4 C, 6 W, 2 F, 6 D, and 2 G. Rosters may not exceed 27 players (20 active and 7 bench). Minors and IR do not use roster spots. Unsigned pool players receive an $11 million default salary. Each team may carry up to 51 minor-league players.
1.5–1.6 IR and Playoffs
IR is unlimited and provides roster and cap relief; SABH players receive the same relief. The top 16 teams qualify. Playoffs normally begin in the sixth-to-last period, run four rounds over five weeks, skip the sixth partial week, and use Fantrax standings/tiebreakers. Round 1 is 1–16, 2–15 through 8–9; the final is a two-week Manly Cup Final.
2. Transactions
2.1 Tracking and contracts
Fantrax is the definitive transaction log. Re-signed contracts are updated in Fantrax by the commissioner team. New Fantrax players receive an $11 million default rookie contract to require a Discord call-up post; some legacy rookie contracts remain at $500,000.
2.2 Trades and review
Owned roster players, prospects, and draft picks may be traded. Trades must be completed in Fantrax and posted in Discord trade chat with player position/contract or prospect/draft-pick details. GMs propose and accept; commissioners execute approved trades.
- Stage 1: Fantrax acceptance, cap retention in notes, and Discord review post.
- Stage 2: TAB checks legality, including cap, minors, draft-pick eligibility, and retention.
- Stage 3: League vote for up to 72 hours. Fewer than three negative votes approves it.
- Stage 3a: Three negative votes trigger TAB in-depth review.
- Stage 4: Fantrax processing and manual retention adjustments.
TAB review considers collusion, league health, asset value, and precedent. A trade not accepted within 72 hours of in-depth review is rejected automatically. New GMs must wait one month before trading. The trade deadline follows the NHL deadline through midnight Eastern unless playoffs require a commissioner-set alternative; the freeze lasts until offseason renewal/rule acceptance.
Salary retention: maximum 50% of the existing contract, disclosed and approved in the trade, with a $5 million maximum retained by one team. Only the first retaining team is tracked.
2.3 Free Agency
Free agency opens after re-signs, normally around the first Sunday in August, and closes at the trade deadline. Contracts may be a maximum of four years. Equivalent-term bids must increase by at least 0.25 points. Bid points equal salary in millions plus 0.5 × years; the minimum bid is $500,000.
Initial bids go in Discord and remain open for the first three-day opening window; uncontested bids close after at least 24 hours. Offseason bid caps equal each team’s remaining cap space on the commissioner-set date, excluding IR; trades do not alter this cap. In-season bids use current cap space.
2.4–2.11 Player movement
- Re-sign offers must follow the Section 5 rubric and receive commissioner approval.
- Call-ups with fewer than 25 career NHL games receive $500,000 for three seasons; the term starts based on the 25-game threshold.
- Minor eligibility ends next season after 75 NHL regular-season games for skaters or 25 for goalies.
- Standard buyouts carry 40% of salary for the remaining term; special eligible inherited-player buyouts carry 20% if used within the two-week window.
- New replacement GMs receive one seven-day amnesty buyout; they cannot re-sign that player for 12 months.
- Released/bought-out players are on waivers for three days. Successful claims assume the contract and may remove the dropping team’s buyout penalty.
3. NHL Keeper League Draft
The entry draft has five rounds, the same order every round, and a 12-hour pick clock. Missed picks are assigned after the round from the highest available NHL draftee; the Fantrax draft room is the definitive record.
The draft is normally held shortly after the NHL Draft. Initial order follows prior standings and Fantrax tiebreakers. Only the bottom five teams enter the first-round lottery: 24th 37%, 23rd 22%, 22nd 18%, 21st 14.5%, and 20th 8.5%, tied to the listed NHL lottery teams in the document.
Non-playoff teams 19th–21st receive slots 6–8. Playoff eliminations determine picks 9–22 in reverse regular-season order; runner-up receives 23 and champion 24. The draft contains only players drafted in that NHL Entry Draft. Undrafted NHL draftees are assigned to their real-life NHLKL counterpart; unclaimed eligible players become UFAs. Only two future draft seasons may be traded.
4. Conduct and GM Standards
Intentional tanking, invalid rosters, lineup manipulation, or system abuse can lead to cap hits, lost picks, or removal. Illegal-roster penalties progress from warning, to loss of a fourth-round pick, then third-round pick and upward; a sixth instance can result in removal.
Respectful conduct is required. Three infractions in one season may result in GM removal. Standards include responding to league communications within seven days, meeting re-sign/draft/roster deadlines, avoiding free-agent-cap violations, maintaining lineups, and reporting extended absences.
5. Re-signing Rubric
Use the skater or goalie rubric in Discord’s #rubric channel. Use Fantrax’s rounded one-decimal FP/G from the most recent season to determine tier. Count up to three prior seasons at or above that tier, counting only seasons over 25 GP, to determine consistency. The rubric supplies base salary; add $250,000 per additional year where permitted.
- Hossa clause: a player dropping more than three tiers in one season may sign only one year.
- Rookie clause: fewer than four NHL seasons over 25 GP permits a maximum two-year deal.
- 0 NHL GP: maximum one year at $500,000.
- Ersson clause: goalies under 25 games use tier 1 plus consistency.
- Barkov clause: injury-driven tier 0 can be placed up to four tiers below the previous 60+ GP season; maximum one year.
Offers go in each team’s Discord re-sign channel and must state production, last four years’ tiers, consistency, and offered salary. Commissioner approval is required before Fantrax updates. Re-signs must finish by the published deadline.
The current skater and goalie rubric charts are dated May 14, 2026 and are maintained in Discord.