NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly held a joint press conference ahead of the first game of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. They touched on a variety of league topics, most notably sharing that the league continues to progress well towards a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the NHL Players’ Association. The pair shared that CBA negotiations are in “good shape” per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that they weren’t yet ready to call the deal close to final.
The NHL is a year out from needing to finalize a new CBA. Early momentum could point towards minimal changes in the next agreement, though the league did comment on a few potential changes. Daly and Bettman said they weren’t concerned about tax differential influencing player’s signing decisions. Later, NHLPA Assistant Executive Ron Hainsey shared that the league could reform the long-term injured reserve to avoid late-season manipulation. Both topics have grown to a roar over recent years, in light of repeated success for the Vegas Golden Knights and the pair of Florida-based teams.
Other notes from Bettman and Daly’s presser:
- Daly confirmed that the league isn’t expecting Russia to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics. The country was previously barred from participation at the 2024 Summer Olympics, though athletes were still able to participate under the category of “individual neutral athletes”. Russia’s Men’s Hockey team took home silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and gold in 2018, though the NHL did not send players to either competition. With this news, fans will have to wait even longer to see Russian stars take on Olympic competitors. The last time that superstars like Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin appeared at the Olympics was in 2014. Russia achieved a fifth-place finish that year.
- Daly also shared that the league is considering opening AHL eligibility to teenagers in the next CBA, per Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News. The Deputy Commissioner added that the NHL is discussing the change with the NHLPA, and has given advance notice to the CHL – though the dialogue is ongoing. Junior hockey is presently under a monumental shift after the NCAA expanded collegiate eligibility to CHL athletes. Early winds from the decision appear to be pushing major juniors to a younger demographic – momentum that would only seem to grow should the NHL and AHL give players even more options after their draft years.
Thank God! Cap Circumventing is a problem thats long overdue to be addressed, i know as a Blackhawks fan that very recently teams have followed the 2015 Blackhawks in abusing the LTIR/Capless playoff loophole 2021 Tampa Bay and 2023 Vegas, it would be a huge W if they kept a salary cap for the postseason or increased slightly for the expanded rosters
Please explain how a team is circumventing the cap when the moves they make were collectively bargained.
“Daly and Bettman said they weren’t concerned about tax differential influencing player’s signing decisions”
*Insert Tim Robinson’s “you sure about that” GIF here*
What could they do about that anyway? To the degree that it’s an issue, that’s on the high tax states/provinces.
@GBear, easy. Every player is paid by the league, not the team.
But then team revenue would have to be further shared. Which the Maple Leafs and Bruins/Red Wings/Oilers would have to open their books, so it won’t sparkle enough to have the league accept it.
Well sure, in some capacity you could say a players contract is a quasi team/league payout. The revenue sharing could be adjusted, but from a players perspective, they would still look for the low tax state teams as long as those teams are willing to pay what they want. Teams like the Bolts and Panthers have good ownership.
Never understood the idea that an 18 year old can play in the NHL but not the AHL.
It was an agreement set up between the NHL and CHL to help player development and maintain attendance at CHL arenas. Teams like Brandon or Moncton thought they wouldn’t be able to survive if their top 2-3 players wound up in Bakersfield or Stockton or Albany every year. Things have changed with cities like Edmonton and Calgary and Vancouver acquiring CHL teams so it’s easier for the NHL to have scouts and coaches there, but at the time of agreement scouts and coaches may have had to take a flight across country and then a rental car to a smaller city without an airport 2 hours away. I’m guessing it’s something discussed in the next CBA’s with many Canadian cities and teams hosting CHL, AHL, and NHL teams in one city if not, then nearby.
I know why the rule exists, but I’ve never thought it’s a very good rule. If a kid just needs maybe a month or two in the AHL to get himself NHL ready, I hate seeing him denied that opportunity.