NEW YORK — Labor peace in the NHL? It sure seems possible.
Gary Bettman advised NHL owners Tuesday that talks regarding a new collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players’ Association are set to begin in the new year.
The current CBA expires in September 2026 so this is very early for talks, based on past events, with the desire to have a new deal in place before the current deal expires if all goes well. And, well, to avoid a lockout.
We’ve learned by now never to predict how NHL-NHLPA labor talks go. Still …
“I don’t want to speculate, but if we had it done by my media avail at the Stanley Cup Final, everybody would be very happy,” the NHL commissioner said. “But that’s not a discussion in terms of a timetable that I’ve had with (NHLPA executive director) Marty Walsh so I don’t want to put any unfair or undiscussed parameters on it.”
And to be clear, Bettman means this season’s Stanley Cup Final. Imagine a CBA extension reached by then, one year ahead of time?
The indication we’re getting is that the NHLPA is just as eager as the league to commence that CBA extension dialogue (Walsh wasn’t immediately available for comment Tuesday evening, as he was in Prague, but a request for comment was relayed to the NHLPA).
That’s good news for hockey fans, especially those who lived through the 2004-05 lockout that canceled an entire season and the 2012-13 lockout that wiped out half a season.
Bettman had actually said recently that CBA talks could start even earlier.
“I’ve said that it could be as early as November, but I think everybody’s still got some homework to do, and I know that the union is on their fall tour (speaking to players on each team), so no big deal, it’s just that in terms of timing that’s probably the most realistic,” Bettman said of CBA talks beginning after Jan. 1.
“Which is still well, well in advance. And we think ,collectively, in terms of the relationship (with the NHLPA), we’re in a good place.”
I covered the 2004-05 and 2012-13 lockouts, so I will never count my chickens. But the tone early on is very promising here.
Other league items from Tuesday’s Board of Governors meeting:
Early 2025-26 cap figures
Bettman provided owners with an early salary-cap estimate for next season.
“It is way, way, way, way preliminary,” he cautioned. “So don’t even take this anywhere with much meaning, but it is way, way, way preliminary, but probably $92.5 million, give or take. But it’s really too early for that to be a story.”
This year’s cap is $88 million, so $92.5 million would basically the five percent increase that’s built into the CBA memorandum of understanding. So this is no surprise, but it does signify that the league believes it will again see revenues grow at the anticipated levels.
Ownership stakes
Bettman said the Board of Governors approved two franchise transactions, which haven’t officially closed yet:
1. Senators owner Micheal Andlauer (further) is buying 12 percent of the franchise from the Armoyan family, which will increase Andlauer’s stake in ownership.
2. A change in control in three years with the sale of 50 percent of the Tampa Bay Lightning franchise to Doug Ostrover and Mark Lipschultz from Blue Owl.
Current Tampa owner Jeff Vinik, who has been one of the league’s great owners, will still remain on board in three years as a minority stakeholder.
Expansion talk
Despite constant speculation about expansion into places like Houston and Atlanta, among other markets, Bettman said there was no talk with the Board whatsoever Tuesday regarding the next round of expansion.
“The topic never came up today in any form,” he said. “Not in any form.”
So where does it sit?
“No different than the last time I answered the question,” Bettman said. “There are a number of places that have expressed interest, that talk to us, some on a regular basis, but that’s where we are.”
Believe me when I say expansion is eventually coming to Atlanta and maybe Houston, and don’t forget a return to Arizona one day, too. But not quite yet.
“You know, if something came in and checked all the boxes, and we felt that it might make sense, we might consider it,” Bettman said. “We’re not there right now. It seems like everybody is on the one hand pushing us to, ‘Why don’t you expand?’
“And at the same time saying, ‘Why would you expand?’ So, it’s just not a front-burner topic.”
Not yet …
ICYMI: As talk of NHL expansion persists in cities around North America, the prospect of a second team in Toronto seems more distant than ever. 🔗⬇️ https://t.co/gupZZvhIoyhttps://t.co/gupZZvhIoy
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 1, 2024
Jackets’ cap
As the Blue Jackets continue to mourn Johnny Gaudreau (and his brother Matthew), the business of the game doesn’t sit still. The organization got word Tuesday, ahead of the Board of Governors meeting, regarding its salary cap situation.
Specifically, that the league and NHLPA agreed that the $2 million signing bonus paid to Gaudreau this summer could count against the team’s cap this season, which will help the club get to the cap floor.
“Both sides are looking at it as a fairly good resolution,” Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said.
“We worked with the Players’ Association for what made the most sense in terms of working with that situation,” said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. “And we reached the agreement that we reached.”
Part of the agreement also allowed “if needed, and only to the extent necessary, Columbus will also be provided with a reasonable amount of additional time following the opening of the regular season (as determined by the NHL and NHLPA) to come into full compliance with its CBA obligation to establish a roster and payroll exceeding the Lower Limit of the Team Payroll Range for the 2024/25 League Year,” a league statement read.
So some early season leeway on the floor if the Jackets need it.
In the meantime, the Jackets continue to explore the trade market to acquire a forward.
Part of that is hockey, to help the team on the ice. But part of it is also not wanting to stay too tight to the floor. The Jackets may try to build in a little more flexibility.
“The big thing for us is that we don’t want to be hovering right away all year right at the minimum in case you want to do something,” Waddell said. “So we’re talking to a lot of teams about different options, and I’m pretty confident that within the next few weeks we’ll be able to have a player that can not only help our hockey team but adds to our salary (payroll).”
Being realistic about a Jackets team that very likely won’t be in the playoff picture, Waddell wants to be able to move a player or two ahead of the March 7 trade deadline without going below the cap floor.
But also, adding another forward isn’t just about adding a contract. It’s about adding someone who can play.
“I’m not looking for LTI or anything like that,” Waddell said. “That just doesn’t make sense in our position. We need a player. So we’ll explore, which we have been. We’ve talked to many, many teams, and we’ll continue to talk to them.”
The Athletic: Blue Jackets won’t be required to hit NHL’s salary floor by start of season#CBJ https://t.co/UDXYqtcdkG
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 1, 2024
McDavid extension
Leon Draisaitl got done. Now, the biggest contract of all is on deck for next summer. That’s when Connor McDavid can sign an extension, a year out from his current deal expiring.
“Connor has spent his whole career in Edmonton, and he loves playing in the city and we have a good team,” Oilers CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson told The Athletic. “I know the most important thing for Connor is playing on a good team and winning and trying to compete for the Cup.
“I said this a year ago when I took this job, if we can have a team that’s in the mix at the end, you know, I’m very confident that he’ll want to stay,” added Jackson. “We’ll get through this year and then we’ve got another year before this deal is up.”
Jackson’s point is that, just as he said regarding Draisaitl, there isn’t a rush to get something done on July 1. People shouldn’t freak out if 97’s extension takes a bit longer.
“You have time to do it, and if you’re doing it properly, you don’t have to get it done by any particular date,” Jackson said.
So everyone take a chill pill July 1 if McDavid’s extension isn’t done. That’s probably what Jackson really wanted to say here, so I will say it for him.
And I’m reasonably confident the Oilers will get McDavid extended.
And Ullmark extension
The Senators are hoping to get Linus Ullmark signed to an extension at some point but have delayed that conversation with the pending unrestricted free agent because they just traded for the No. 1 goalie this summer and want him to settle into his new surroundings before starting those talks.
“The process is about making sure that Linus was comfortable in the environment that he’s in,” Andlauer told The Athletic. “We understand what his priorities are, being a family man and all and making sure that this was the right surroundings. There’s no sense negotiating something if your work environment is not conducive to what you want.
“We want our players to be happy, first and foremost. As I said last year at my opening news conference, I’m a player-first owner. So we’ll take it from there.”
(Photo of Gary Bettman: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
