Today, the NHL governors will meet in New York, as is always the case at this time of year. Contrary to what was conveyed two weeks ago, Gary Bettman is not going to make it official that the expansion process is underway, quite the contrary. He will discuss this matter with the 32 owners of the league today, but we are only talking about an update here.
That said, we feel that the NHL seems in less of a hurry to add a minimum of two other teams. Not because there are no interests from several cities, but more because the commissioner wants to do things the right way. And the right way is to ensure that future owners will not have any unpleasant surprises after purchasing a new franchise, which means that as long as there is no will not have a new collective agreement in place (it ends after the 2025-2026 season), it would be surprising if the expansion process is launched.
This is what Bill Daly, deputy commissioner of the NHL, told me over the last few days, while keeping himself out by saying that the league had to keep an open mind on this issue. .
When will the new convention come?
The good news is that the NHL and the Players’ Association have never gotten along better since the arrival of Gary Bettman in 1993. The “new” director of the NHLPA, Marty Walsh, seems very open to league goals and there isn’t much friction between the two sides.
The fact remains that officially, the two parties have not yet started discussions to sign a collective agreement, but there are no rules preventing them from doing so.
The question is also whether it would not be advantageous for everyone if these discussions began as quickly as possible, when the NHL will have its hands full in a year with the renewal of national television rights in Canada.
What will Marty Walsh do?
The other question mark currently concerns the director of the Players’ Association who could well be forced to return to the political arena. At least that’s the fear of many people. Marty Walsh was indeed Secretary of the US Department of Labor from 2001 to 2003 under Joe Biden, but this time he could play a much more important role if Kamala Harris is elected President of the United States in November.
The proof, there were five people who were called upon to advise Kamala Harris to choose her running mate (Tim Walz) in August. One of those people was none other than Marty Walsh. No need to tell you that the Harris clan holds him in high esteem and it seems obvious that he will be offered a position, if she wins the election. It remains to be seen whether he will accept the offer presented to him at that time. But in the meantime, not only are the members of the NHLPA holding their breath, but as incredible as it may seem, the leaders of the NHL even more so. That tells you how it is appreciated.
