NHL Deputy Commissioner Addresses Next CBA

The NHL's deputy commissioner sat down for an interview recently and gave his thoughts on the pending collective bargaining agreement negotiations.

Jun 3, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly speaks at a press conference before game one of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The NHL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires in September of 2026. That might seem far away, but there's really just another season separating the two sides from a potential work stoppage. History is on the side of the work stoppage, as it's occurred each time the CBA expired in the last 25 years. This time around, however, the NHL appears confident they will avoid that negative outcome.

The NHL's Deputy Commissioner and Chief Legal Officer, Bill Daly, recently spoke with James Murphy of RG.org, and of course, the CBA was a topic of discussion. Murphy asked Daly if there was anything he viewed as a potential hold-up to the pending negotiations, to which Daly attempted to cool off with his response.

“We plan to negotiate frequently on issues we agree on and issues we don’t agree on," he said. "I currently don’t have any evidence of any issues that could prevent us from making a new agreement when the time comes to make a new deal, if not earlier. That’s at least my perspective of things.”

Daly's perspective echoes that of the league's commissioner, Gary Bettman. When the NHL's Board of Governors meeting happened recently, Bettman gave reporters hope that a deal could be done in time. He discussed how the NHL plans to begin negotiations on the new CBA with the NHLPA at the beginning of 2025.

"If we had it done by my media availability at the Stanley Cup Final, everybody would be very happy," Bettman said. "But that's not a discussion, in terms of the timetable, that I've had with Marty Walsh, so I don't want to put any unfair parameters on it. It'll be what it'll be, but I think based on the status of our relationship, this will be fine."

It's clear from Daly and Bettman's comments that the NHL wants to end this negotiation process as early as possible. That doesn't mean it will happen, but the intention is obvious. The NHLPA has yet to be as vocal on their perspective on the upcoming negotiations, but if the league is any indication, this could be a much smoother process than the last two instances of the CBA expiring.

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