EDMONTON -- The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have had “really good discussions” that both sides hope will lead to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement well before the expiration of the current CBA.
“I think we are having very constructive, professional, cordial dialogue,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers at Rogers Place on Wednesday. “We started a little bit later than we had anticipated for a variety of reasons on both sides, so 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.”
The current CBA, which was signed in 2013 with a four-year extension ratified in 2020, expires Sept. 15, 2026. The NHL and NHLPA began collective bargaining discussions in April after having informal talks in the weeks leading up to that.
There had been some hope of an agreement being reached by the start of the Cup Final. That one wasn’t is not a reflection of the progress in negotiations.
“We’re having good ongoing conversations,” NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said. “Right now, this time of year’s hard because you’re in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup. But it’s moving steady. It’s moving forward, and I feel good where we are, and we’ll see what happens.
“It gets complicated at certain times, any collective bargaining agreement, but it’s not where it was in the past here or what you see in national disputes between organized labor and workers and companies.”
Although neither side wanted to speculate on a timeline for a conclusion to CBA discussions, NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey said negotiations have been “constant” and did not rule out more talks taking place during the Cup Final.
“Well, we’re all in the same place at the same time, so there are multiple days in between these games,” Hainsey said. “We could find something for ourselves to do productive.”
Other topics discussed during the news conference prior to Game 1 of the Cup Final included:
* Expansion: NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said that though the League doesn’t plan to open a formal process to expand beyond its current 32 teams, it has had discussions with parties interested in adding new markets and will continue to listen.
“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. “There are some people we’ve talked to more than others, but there’s a lot of interest, which I think we’re gratified with.”
* Russian player participation in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics: After the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation announced in May that Russian teams would continue to be ineligible to participate in the 2026 Olympics because of the country’s continuing war with Ukraine, the NHL is proceeding as if its Russian players won’t play in Milan.
“As of right now, and I don’t expect it to change, the IOC and the IIHF has made an announcement that there won’t be Russian teams in the Winter Olympics,” Daly said. “So, at this point in time, we don’t expect Russian participation.”
Walsh said the Russian NHL players are understandably disappointed, but noted, “it’s out of their control.”
“There’s not much they can do with what’s happening in Ukraine and Russia,” Walsh said. “They want to play best on best. We hear it all the time, they want to play best on best. We were hoping that by this point in time the conflict of the war would not be where it is. It seems like it’s escalating instead of deescalating, so we’ll see what happens in the future.”
* Construction of new arena in Calgary: Commissioner Bettman sees potential for the Calgary Flames’ future new home, Scotia Place, to have a similar impact on Calgary as Rogers Place has had on downtown Edmonton since it opened in 2016.
Scotia Place, which is under construction to replace Scotiabank Saddledome as the Flames' home, is expected to open in the fall of 2027.
“I think it was essential that the Flames and actually the city of Calgary needed a new events center, a new arena, and I think it can be transformative just as it’s been here in Edmonton,” the Commissioner said. “You look at this arena, you look at the Ice District and I believe that the plans in Calgary are equally exciting and people in Calgary, whether or not you’re a Flames fan, should be really excited about it.”
* Adjusting all-star event approach: After the success of the 4 Nations Face-off in February led to plans for the 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend at UBS Arena being scuttled, Commissioner Bettman said an event will be held at the New York Islanders home in 2027.
“We’ve concluded that whatever we do for next season needs to take into account that the players are going to be very focused on getting to Milan and playing in the Olympics and we want to respect that,” the Commissioner said. “So, there will be an event the following year at UBS and we’re still trying to figure out what we can do that will do justice to the level of interest and authenticity that we and the players created in 4 Nations. So, that’s still a work in progress.”
NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika and senior writer Dan Rosen contributed to this report
