Official Changes to Rules for 2017-18

[Montreal Canadiens (Tyler)]

Rule Changes for 2017-18 Season

Free Buyout for Replacement GMs:
Was: Non-existant
Now: New GMs who take over an existing team are given one free buyout that must be used within 2 seasons as of the start of the season they joined the league in.

Reduce Number of Draft Rounds:

Was: 8 rounds
Now: 6 rounds

Penalty for Illegal Claims:
Was: An irritation for the Commissioners
Now: An irritation for the Commissioners and a $500,000 cap penalty to the offending team for the remainder of the season

Salary Retention:
Was: Non-existant
Now: In trade negotiations the GM sending the player can retain up to 50 percent of that player's salary for the remaining duration of their contract. A team may not have more than 3 retained players at a time and a player may not be retained more than once.

Minor League Team Size:
Was: 40
Now: 50