Gary Bettman attended the Bruins' Centennial game and discussed the salary cap and CBA.
BOSTON – NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was on hand for the Boston Bruins’ Centennial game against the Montreal Canadiens Sunday at TD Garden and he addressed several league topics, including the upcoming collective bargaining agreement with the Players’ Association.
When asked, Bettman said the league’s relationship with the Players’ Association is in a good place leading into negotiations.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Marty Walsh (NHLPA executive director) is turning out to be a great partner. We have a little collective bargaining to do, which will start in February and I’m pretty confident I won’t change my answer to the question when you ask me at the end of the year. Both organizations are working very well together and I’m pleased to have Marty as a partner and now as a friend.”
The current CBA will expire on Sept. 15, 2026, but Bettman hopes to finalize a new deal with the NHLPA before that date.
“That would be nice,” Bettman said. However, “it would be purely supplicative on my part to answer that. Marty has a responsibility to his players. He’s got a lot of players to talk to, and in terms of that level of communication, my job is a little bit easier in terms of the people I have to interact with, so don’t put a hard wall, focusing on how long this is going to take. I hope it will go smoothly. I hope it will move quickly, but don’t read too much into it in case it gets a little longer than people are speculating. That doesn’t mean the process isn’t working right or we’re not getting along.”
The commissioner added that it takes time to properly inform all the constituents involved on both sides. The current salary cap is $88 million and there’s been speculation it could increase to $92.5 million for 2025-26. Bettman said those numbers are not definite, adding negotiations haven’t been discussed but he hopes the process goes “smooth and steady.”
“I have seen that speculation and it hasn’t been based on the number as we understand them,” he said. “And, it would require us to forge a new agreement and how to compute the cap for next year and we haven’t had those discussions yet at all. I wouldn’t rule anything in, or out, but those stories were a little bit too far out in front of where the reality lies.”
Bettman said he’s happy with his relationship with Walsh and both are working towards figuring out what’s best and most sensible for the game, its players and the league.