NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh announced Wednesday that collective bargaining agreement negotiations are moving forward without major roadblocks.
Bettman spoke at his annual state of the league address before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. He said the sides are "having very constructive, professional, cordial dialogue."
The current CBA doesn’t expire until September 2026. Talks started in April.
"I don’t have an announcement to make today that we have a deal, but we have more than a year to go and I think we’re in really good shape, having really good discussions," Bettman said. "That’s a testament to Marty Walsh and Ron Hainsey and people at the Players’ Association who have been working tirelessly with us."
Walsh confirmed the league and union were having productive ongoing conversations. He said there aren’t major issues creating problems.
"It’s moving steady, it’s moving forward and I feel good with where we are and we’ll see what happens," Walsh said. "It gets complicated at certain times, any collective bargaining agreement, but it’s not where it was in the past here where you’re seeing national disputes between organized labor and companies."
Ron Hainsey, the NHLPA’s assistant executive director, expects meetings to continue during the final in Edmonton and South Florida.
"We’re all in the same place at the same time," Hainsey said. "There are multiple days in between these games where we can find something for ourselves to do."
No Russians in Olympics
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league doesn’t expect Russian players to participate in the Olympics next year.
That continues the current policy from the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation. Both organizations have banned Russian teams since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Walsh said players he’s spoken to are disappointed they can’t participate in Milan. It’s the first Olympics with NHL participation since 2014.
"It’s out of their control, and there’s not much they can do," Walsh said. "There’s not much they can do with what’s happening in Ukraine and Russia, and they want to play best on best. We hear it all the time. They want to play best on best and we were hoping that by this point in time, the conflict or the war would not be where it is."
Expansion Talk
Daly said the league isn’t engaging in a formal expansion process to go beyond 32 teams. But officials are listening to potential ownership groups about proposals.
"If somebody wants to essentially apply for an expansion franchise and has all the requisite elements that we would look for in an expansion franchise, we would raise it with the Board of Governors and see if they have any interest in it," Daly said.
He said some groups have had more discussions than others.
"There’s a lot of interest, which I think we’re gratified with."
