The maximum number of players on an NHL roster during the regular season is 23.
An NHL team may carry up to 23 players on its active roster during the regular season, normally made up of forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders. Although clubs can employ many additional players under contract, those players may be assigned to the minor leagues or placed on other roster lists and are not part of the 23-player active group.
The number is often confused with the number of players available for a game. A team typically dresses 20 players for an NHL game: 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders. That is why 20 is a common but incorrect answer to this question. The roster limit is also different from the salary-cap system, which restricts payroll rather than simply counting players.
Teams can temporarily exceed the normal limit in certain circumstances, such as emergency conditions or specific injury-related situations, but 23 is the standard maximum for the regular-season active roster. During the playoffs, roster rules and eligibility procedures differ, so a question specifying the regular season matters.