NHL Rumors: CBA talks, cap estimate, expansion, McDavid extension and more from the Board of Governors

NEW YORK – Labor peace in the NHL? It definitely seems possible.

Gary Bettman told NHL owners on Tuesday that talks on a new collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players' Association will begin in the new year.

The current CBA expires in September 2026, so it is still very early for discussions, based on past events, with the desire to conclude a new contract before the current contract expires if all goes well. And, well, to avoid a lockout.

We have now learned never to predict how the NHL-NHLPA working talks will go. Despite it …

“I don’t want to speculate, but if we made it to the Stanley Cup Finals with the help of my media support, everyone would be very happy,” the NHL commissioner said. “But this isn't a discussion in terms of a schedule that I've had with (NHLPA executive director) Marty Walsh, so I don't want to set parameters that are unfair or not discussed.”

And to be clear, Bettman is referring to this season's Stanley Cup Final. Do you imagine the CBA extension being achieved by then, a year earlier?

The signs we're getting are that the NHLPA is as interested as the league in starting dialogue on the CBA extension (Walsh was not immediately available for comment Tuesday night because he was in Prague, but a request for comment was made). a comment was forwarded to the NHLPA).

That's good news for hockey fans, especially those who lived through the 2004-05 lockout, which wiped out an entire season, and the 2012-13 lockout, which wiped out half a season.

Bettman actually recently said that CBA talks could start even sooner.

“I said it could be as early as November, but I think everyone still has some homework to do and I know the union is on its fall tour (talking to each team's players), so “No big deal, just the timing is probably the most realistic,” Bettman said of the CBA talks starting after Jan. 1.

“That’s still good, way in advance. And we feel like we’re in a good place overall in terms of the relationship (with the NHLPA).”

I covered the 2004-05 and 2012-13 lockouts, so I'll never count my chickens. But the tone at the beginning is very promising here.

Other league topics from Tuesday's Board of Governors meeting:

Cap numbers for early 2025-26

Bettman provided owners with an early salary cap estimate for next season.

“It’s very, very, very, very preliminary,” he warned. “So don't even take this with much significance, but it's very, very, very preliminary, but probably $92.5 million, give or take. But it’s really too early to make a story out of it.”

This year's cap is $88 million, so $92.5 million would essentially be the five percent increase provided for in the CBA memorandum of understanding. So this isn't a surprise, but it does mean that the league expects revenue to grow again at the rate expected.

Ownership shares

Bettman said the Board of Governors approved two franchise transactions that have not yet officially closed:

1. Senators owner Michael Andlauer (still) purchases 12 percent of the franchise from the Armoyan family, increasing Andlauer's share of ownership.

2. A change of control within three years with the sale of 50 percent of the Tampa Bay Lightning franchise to Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz of Blue Owl.

Current Tampa owner Jeff Vinik, one of the league's largest owners, will remain on board as a minority shareholder in three years.

Expansion discussion

Despite constant speculation about expansion into places like Houston and Atlanta and other markets, Bettman said Tuesday there had been no discussions with the board about the next round of expansion.

“The issue was not discussed in any form today,” he said. “In no way.”

So where is it located?

“No different than the last time I answered the question,” Bettman said. “There are a number of places that have expressed interest and are talking to us, some on a regular basis, but that’s where we are.”

Believe me when I say expansion is coming to Atlanta and maybe Houston at some point, and don't forget to return to Arizona one day too. But not quite yet.

“You know, if something comes in and meets all the criteria and we feel like it might make sense, we might consider it,” Bettman said. “We’re not there right now. It seems like, on the one hand, everyone is urging us to say, “Why don’t you expand?”

“And at the same time asking, 'Why should you expand?' So it’s just not an issue that’s at the forefront.”

Not yet …

ICYMI: As talk of NHL expansion continues in cities across 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

Jacket cap

As the Blue Jackets continue to mourn the loss of Johnny Gaudreau (and his brother Matthew), the game is not standing still. The organization was informed of its salary cap situation on Tuesday ahead of the Board of Governors meeting.

Specifically, the league and the NHLPA agreed that the $2 million signing bonus paid to Gaudreau this summer could count toward the team's cap this season, which will help the club reach the cap.

“Both sides see it as a pretty good solution,” Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said.

“We worked with the players’ association to determine what made the most sense in terms of handling this situation,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “And we made the agreement that we made.”

Part of the agreement also provided that “Columbus will be provided reasonable additional time after the opening of the regular season (as determined by the NHL and NHLPA) as necessary and only to the extent necessary to fully comply with the requirements.” “with its CBA commitment to construct a roster and payroll above the lower limit of the team payroll range for the 2024-25 league year,” the league said in a statement.

So some wiggle room on the floor early in the season if the Jackets need it.

In the meantime, the Jackets continue to explore the trade market to acquire a forward.

Part of it is hockey to help the team on the ice. But this also means that you don't want to stay too close to the ground. The Jackets may try to add a little more flexibility.

“The biggest thing for us is that if you want to do something, we don’t want to stay at the minimum all year long,” Waddell said. “So we're talking to a lot of teams about different options and I'm pretty confident that in the next few weeks we'll have a player who can not only help our hockey team but also supplement our salary (payroll).

Realistic that the Jackets team most likely won't make the playoffs, Waddell wants to be able to move a player or two before the March 7 trade deadline without going under the cap.

But adding another striker isn't just about adding a contract either. 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 what we were. We have spoken to many, many teams and we will continue to speak to them.”

The Athletic: The Blue Jackets don't have to reach the NHL's salary cap at the start of the season#CBJ https://t.co/UDXYqtcdkG

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 1, 2024

McDavid extension

Leon Draisaitl is ready. Now the biggest order of all is due next summer. Then Connor McDavid can sign a contract extension one year before his current contract expires.

“Connor has spent his entire career in Edmonton and he loves playing in the city and we have a good team,” said Oilers CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson The athlete. “I know the most important thing for Connor is to play in a good team, win and try to fight for the cup.

“I said this a year ago when I took this job: If we can end up with a team that can compete, I'm very confident that he wants to stay,” Jackson added. “We’ll get through this year and then we’ll have another year until this deal expires.”

Jackson's point is that, just as he said regarding Draisaitl, there is no rush to get anything done on July 1st. People shouldn't freak out if the 97 extension takes a little longer.

“You have time to do it, and if you do it right, you don’t have to do it by a certain date,” Jackson said.

So everyone take a calming pill on July 1 if McDavid's extension isn't finalized. That's probably what Jackson really wanted to say here, so I'll say it for him.

And I'm reasonably confident that the Oilers will extend McDavid.

And Ullmark extension

The Senators are hoping to get Linus Ullmark a contract extension at some point, but have postponed talking to the impending unrestricted free agent because they just traded for the No. 1 goalie this summer and want him to settle into his new surroundings beforehand he thus starts conversations.

“The process is about making sure Linus feels comfortable in the environment he is in,” Andlauer said The athlete. “We understand what his priorities are, being a family man and making sure this is the right environment. There's no point in negotiating anything if your work environment isn't what you want.

“First and foremost, we want our players to be happy. As I said at my inaugural press conference last year, I am a player-first owner. So we’ll take it from there.”

(Photo by Gary Bettman: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)