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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →In the NHL’s formal CBA language, a Non-Roster Player is temporarily unavailable for a reason other than injury, illness or disability. With Commissioner approval, the club can exclude that player from its Active Roster count and use a replacement. The designation does not mean the player was cut or injured.
What the NHL rule means
Article 16.12(a) of the NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement defines the status. It gives the birth of a child and attending a funeral as examples of reasons a player might be unavailable for something other than injury, illness or disability. The player becomes a Non-Roster Player only upon approval by the Commissioner. The NHL’s CBA page provides the governing agreement; consult the current consolidated CBA and any applicable memorandum for legal or transaction-specific questions.
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While the designation is in effect, the player does not count against the club’s Active Roster limit, and the club may replace the player. The CBA nevertheless includes both the designated player’s and the replacement’s Player Salary and Bonuses in the specified Actual Club Salary, Averaged Club Salary and Players’ Share calculations. In other words, the roster-count exception does not mean the player’s salary disappears from those calculations.
How it differs from other roster labels
| Label | What it means | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Roster Player, Article 16.12 | Commissioner-approved designation for a player unavailable for a non-injury, non-illness, non-disability reason; excluded from the Active Roster count while designated, with a replacement permitted. | It does not by itself mean the player is injured, waived, released, demoted or permanently off the team. |
| “Injured and/or Non-Roster” | A grouped heading used in NHL roster material, including the 2025–26 opening-roster announcement. | The combined wording alone does not tell you which status applies to a particular player. See the NHL announcement. |
| Injured Reserve (IR) | A separate roster mechanism. NHL Hockey Operations Guidelines state that IR players do not count against the regular-season 23-player playing-roster limit. | IR and the Article 16.12 Non-Roster Player designation are not interchangeable. See the NHL Hockey Operations Guidelines. |
| Professional tryout contract (PTO) | A camp tryout for an unsigned player seeking to earn an NHL contract. | A PTO is not automatically the Article 16.12 designation. The player may be signed or released during camp. Read NHL.com’s September 17, 2026 report. |
What roster limits have to do with it
The NHL’s regular-season playing-roster limit is generally 23 players from the start of the regular season through the trade deadline. That is a separate rule from Article 16.12: the guidelines also say players on Injured Reserve do not count toward that 23-player limit. Do not treat the IR exception as the basis for a Non-Roster Player designation.
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How to read a roster announcement
- Check the exact wording. A standalone “Non-Roster Player” label points to a specific CBA status; a combined “Injured and/or Non-Roster” heading groups categories.
- Look for a player-specific explanation. A grouped heading does not establish whether one individual is injured or has the formal Non-Roster designation.
- Keep the date in view. Roster lists are snapshots. NHL Public Relations reported 723 players on official opening-day rosters for the 2026–27 season on September 29, 2026; that figure is not a count of Non-Roster Players and does not describe later roster changes. See the dated announcement.
If a report says only that a player is “non-roster,” avoid inferring a cut, waiver, AHL assignment or injury unless a separate, player-specific source says so.
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