NHL deputy commissioner Bill Day shut down reports that the league was never involved in any plans to expel Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin or Russians from the NHL in 2024.

Daly responded to a report from The Wall Street Journal, reposted by a couple of Capitals blogs, that claimed White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who served under Joe Biden's Administration, had considered banning Russians from playing in the league to pressure Russian president Vladimir Putin in a potential prisoner swap.

"We never mentioned such a possibility, and I don't think it was ever seriously considered," Daly said, via MatchTV.

Ovechkin played in his 20th NHL season in 2024-25, where he put up 44 goals in 65 games and overcame a broken leg to overtake Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's all-time goals leader.