NHL Emergency Backup Goalies in 2026–27: EBUG Rules Explained

Every NHL club must have an approved emergency replacement goalie prepared for its home and away games in 2026–27. The EBUG is a planned part of the team's operation, with strict eligibility rules and limited permission to enter a game. He is different from the regular backup and from an additional professional goalie recalled to the roster.

If you spot No. 00 around your team and wonder why he rarely plays, that is largely the point. The position provides readiness before an emergency happens. Understanding who qualifies, what activates the role and how he helps during the week explains more than simply memorizing another name on a goalie list.

What changed for emergency backup goalies in 2026–27?

The familiar emergency-goalie story involved a local replacement waiting for the unlikely night when an NHL team ran out of available goalies. The new arrangement puts responsibility on each club to employ an eligible emergency replacement and have him prepared throughout its regular-season home and road schedule. The change makes the contingency part of the team's planning.

The governing NHL–NHLPA policy in Attachment 87 describes an emergency replacement who is not under an NHL standard player contract. Being employed by a club in this role should therefore not be confused with signing a conventional NHL playing contract. The policy also allows him to hold another job with the organization.

This distinction matters on road trips. A club's readiness no longer rests on the viewer's assumption that someone suitable will happen to be available in the building. The replacement must satisfy the rules and approval process in advance. The policy is about an organized contingency, rather than an invitation for an enthusiastic spectator to volunteer between periods.

Why No. 00 is more than a familiar emergency cameo

The league identifies the designated emergency goalies with No. 00. That recognizable number helps fans notice the role, but it does not itself confer permission to play. Wearing the uniform and being prepared are different from meeting the circumstances required for game use.

Think of an emergency replacement as someone whose successful night may consist of remaining ready while the regular goalies handle the game. A lack of appearances does not make the position pointless. The team cannot predict precisely when an injury, illness or travel problem will exhaust its normal options, so preparation has to precede the problem.

For the wider labor changes behind the arrangement, see our 2026–27 CBA guide. This article focuses on the emergency goalie's actual eligibility and use, rather than repeating every change in the agreement.

Who qualifies to be an NHL EBUG?

The policy sets a specific eligibility test. Being available, competent and familiar with the team is not enough on its own. The club must propose a goalie who clears the experience restrictions and the other conditions, then obtain league approval.

The experience limits, including the 80-game boundary

An emergency replacement must not have played an NHL game under an NHL standard player contract, played more than 80 professional hockey games, or played professional hockey in the previous three seasons. These are separate restrictions. Meeting one does not cancel another.

The exact wording of the career limit matters. The policy excludes someone with more than 80 professional games. A career total of exactly 80 is therefore not disqualifying under that particular clause alone. Summaries saying fewer than 80 describe a different boundary. The remaining conditions still have to be met, and Central Registry still has to approve the candidate.

A former college goalie and a recently active professional can consequently present different eligibility questions even if both are excellent practice options. Do not infer eligibility from an impressive resume, or rule someone out merely because he has played high-level amateur hockey. The club submits detailed playing experience for the league to evaluate.

League approval and other contractual restrictions

A proposed replacement cannot have another current contractual obligation that prevents him from fulfilling this role. He also cannot be on an NHL club's Reserve List or Restricted Free Agent List. The emergency route is not a way to bypass another club's rights to a player.

The club must submit its proposed goalie and his playing experience to NHL Central Registry. The preseason deadline is at least 48 hours before the regular season; a proposed future replacement must be submitted at least 24 hours before the game in which he may play. He is not eligible to serve until approval has been given.

These requirements explain why the answer to can any amateur sign up is no. A club selects a suitable person, checks the restrictions and obtains approval. The policy allows another club job alongside the emergency role, but that flexibility does not erase the eligibility screen.

For fans, the sensible source is a current club appointment or league identification, rather than a rumor that a familiar practice goalie could suit up. Even an approved appointment answers only who is available. The circumstances allowing him to enter a game remain a separate test.

When can an emergency replacement actually play?

Approval does not turn an EBUG into a discretionary third option for the coach. Attachment 87 specifies three circumstances for game use. The team must fit one of those routes, rather than merely prefer an inexpensive or convenient alternative to a normal goalie transaction.

A late pregame injury with no possible recall

The first route concerns an injury occurring when a club can no longer otherwise dress two goalies. The league must determine that a recall is impossible. Travel is the obvious practical example: a recalled goalie cannot arrive at the arena in time to participate.

Suppose a club learns about an injury shortly before the game and its available affiliate goalie is too far away to arrive. That hypothetical raises the policy's late-injury test. It does not establish that the team can choose an EBUG whenever arranging a recall would be inconvenient. The timing, availability of two goalies and league determination all matter.

Both rostered goalies become disabled during the game

The second route is the emergency most fans picture: both goalies on the club's playing roster become disabled during a game. An ineffective starter or a backup the coach would rather not use is a different situation. The emergency replacement is not an extra tactical option for a disappointing performance.

The policy also restricts repeated use. A club cannot use its emergency replacement in consecutive games unless both goalies are injured during the second game. That limitation matters because a genuine emergency on one night does not automatically justify carrying the same emergency solution into the next game.

The limited cap-space route

The third route addresses a defined roster shortage and insufficient cap or long-term-injury room. A goalie must become unfit or unable to play, such as through injury, illness or disability, or be suspended. The club must be unable to recall or sign a goalie with an averaged amount equal to the minimum NHL Paragraph 1 salary plus $375,000.

There are further conditions: the shortage would leave fewer than two goalies on the playing roster, the club is unable to sign and/or recall a player, and it is not otherwise eligible to recall a goalie under the referenced CBA provision, Section 50.10(e). The $375,000 figure is therefore not a general price tag that any club can invoke to skip an ordinary signing.

For an actual game, look for the team's transaction explanation and the league-approved basis. A salary-cap estimate from a fan account cannot establish every required condition. This route combines player availability, roster strength and transaction restrictions; reducing it to the club has no money misses most of the test.

The practical distinction across all three routes is readiness versus permission. An approved goalie can train and travel so he is ready. The club still has to meet the policy before using him in a game.

Why an EBUG is different from a regular backup or third goalie

The regular backup is part of the team's normal playing options. A coach can choose him to start or replace the starter within the applicable game rules. A designated emergency replacement has a different purpose: he can be used only when the policy's conditions are satisfied.

A third professional goalie is another distinct situation. A club can have an additional goalie under a standard player contract and manage his availability through ordinary roster and transaction rules. Calling every extra goalie an EBUG hides those contractual and eligibility differences.

Role	What the designation tells you	What it does not tell you
Regular backup	A normal playing option alongside the starter	That he will receive a particular number of starts
Additional professional goalie	A player whose availability depends on his contract, roster status and transactions	That he is the designated emergency replacement
Approved EBUG	A qualified emergency replacement prepared under Attachment 87	That the coach can freely substitute him or that an emergency has already occurred

The distinction is especially useful when a team announces a recall. A recalled professional may be moving into the ordinary goalie group because of an injury or another roster need. That announcement should not automatically be interpreted as appointing a new EBUG. Read the transaction's wording and the player's status.

It also prevents overreading a practice photograph. Three goalies on the ice can show how the coaching staff is organizing work; it does not establish that a regular goalie is injured or about to be traded. The emergency replacement's presence is expected under the new arrangement, so his appearance alone is weak evidence of a new problem.

Finally, keep physical location separate from legal status. A picture of someone in pads near the team does not establish how he is listed for that game, which contractual category applies, or whether he can enter. Use the club's lineup and official transaction information for those questions. A recognizable jersey number makes the role easier to spot, but the policy determines what the role permits.

What Mason Kucenski and Reid Robertson show about the job

Detroit appointed former St. Lawrence goalie Mason Kucenski as its EBUG. Columbus uses Reid Robertson, who also handles team travel logistics. The contrast illustrates the policy's flexibility: a club can organize the position around a dedicated goalie role or combine it with other work, provided the person qualifies and is approved.

Neither example makes the emergency goalie a regular lineup selection. The appointment solves a preparedness problem. The team's goalie depth, injury situation and transaction options still determine the ordinary playing group, while Attachment 87 controls emergency use.

For a fan following the Red Wings' next games or the Blue Jackets' schedule, that means the emergency goalie's presence on a trip is expected. His name becoming familiar need not mean a crisis is developing.

Practice work can matter without a game appearance

The league's discussion of the new role also highlights practice workload. An additional capable goalie can take repetitions while regular goalies manage their work. That provides a plausible everyday benefit even if the emergency replacement never enters a game.

Think about what a practice requires. Skaters may need additional shooting work after the scheduled team session. A goalie available for those repetitions can support that work without requiring the same regular goalie to handle every extra puck. That is a practical use of another trained person, rather than evidence that the emergency player is competing for the next start.

The potential benefit should not be turned into an unproven medical claim. Having another goalie available does not establish that a particular player will avoid injury, or that the league's injury rate has already fallen. Workload support is a role explanation; a health outcome requires separate evidence.

It also suggests a fairer way to judge the job. Readiness, reliability and useful practice work are not captured by NHL game appearances alone. A season with no emergency appearance can still include substantial preparation and support. The position exists so an unusual problem can be handled, rather than so an unusual problem must occur.

How to follow your team's emergency-goalie situation

Start with the club's current appointment and regular goalie group. The league's published identification is useful background, but an individual game still requires current lineup and transaction information. A season-long explainer cannot substitute for a late injury update.

1. Identify the approved replacement. Look for the club's announcement, rather than assuming every practice goalie has the designation.
2. Check the normal options. Distinguish the starter, regular backup and any recalled professional from the EBUG.
3. Read the reason for emergency use. A late injury, two disabled in-game goalies and the defined cap-space route involve different conditions.
4. Keep readiness separate from entry. No. 00 being dressed or traveling does not mean he is about to play.
5. Recheck the next game. An emergency on one night does not override the policy's restriction on consecutive use.

When both regular goalies are affected during a broadcast, listen for the explanation of their availability and the replacement's status. A commentator using the word emergency may be describing the practical problem before the formal details are known. Wait for the club or league clarification before assuming which provision applies.

Be careful with older stories as well. An account of a local replacement from a previous season may explain a memorable event without describing the current system. Likewise, Attachment 87 is explicitly a regular-season policy. Do not assume every detail automatically answers a playoff situation without checking the applicable guidance.

The lasting answer is straightforward: an EBUG is a qualified, approved contingency who can contribute to the team's preparation, while game use remains tightly limited. Knowing that distinction lets you appreciate the person in No. 00 without mistaking him for a routine extra roster goalie or treating his presence as evidence of an injury that has not been announced.