NHL commissioner Gary Bettman mentioned that the league is aiming to begin negotiations. The push is for a new collective bargaining agreement with players by January 2025, according to Greg Wyshynski.
The current agreement, initially approved by the NHL Players’ Association in 2013 and extended in 2020, will remain in effect until September 15, 2026.
Since 1995, NHL seasons have included 82 regular-season games. Bettman stated that owners might consider increasing this number while shortening the preseason, as noted by Wyshynski.
There have been discussions about expanding the schedule since at least December 2022. Wyshynski had previously reported that the league had “discussed” adding more games to the regular season, potentially bringing the total to 84.
These discussions came after “some teams complained about an imbalanced number of divisional games against rivals,” Wyshynski wrote in 2022. Adding two games could help balance divisional matchups, ensuring each team faces rivals four times per season.
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If any expansion of the regular season happens, it would probably lead to a shorter preseason, Wyshynski added.
During the NHL’s board of governors meeting in New York, Bettman revealed that he hadn’t yet talked about a timeline for finalizing the new agreement with NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh.
Bettman, who has led the NHL for 31 seasons and handled three lockouts, showed confidence in reaching an agreement.
“I don’t want to put any unfair parameters on it,” Bettman said. “It’ll be what it’ll be, but I think based on the status of our relationship, this will be fine.“
Walsh, who took over the position from former NHLPA leader Don Fehr in 2023, is entering his first collective bargaining negotiation. He’s currently touring NHL teams to collect player feedback, according to Wyshynski.
Bettman also noted that discussions around the new agreement could begin “as early as November,” though the NHLPA would need to complete its team tour first, as reported by Eric Engels from Sportsnet.
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