Executive Director of the NHLPA, Marty Walsh (L) and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman (R) (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
With the Conference Finals for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs underway, the penultimate season of the current NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is winding down. The common feeling around the league has been overwhelmingly positive when it comes to the league and the PA finding common ground on a new CBA, and likely well before the September 2026 expiration of the current agreement.
As he did just after the 2024-25 regular season began, RG Media reporter James Murphy caught up with NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh. Here’s his take on the current CBA talks.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly recently stated that he was happy with how the CBA talks have progressed. Do you feel the same way?
“Yeah, I mean, they’ve been constructive. That’s the best way to put it. There has been an open dialogue between [NHL Commissioner] Gary Bettman and me, which is helpful. There’s no real urgency right now, and there’s no deadline, but of course we want to get this done in a timely manner. It’s like any negotiations; some days you make progress and sometimes you don’t, but the good thing is we haven’t regressed or gone backwards at any time. There’s a shared desire to do this right, so we’re not going to rush it either. I’m just doing my best to, no matter how long it may take, get the best possible deal for the players and, along with the league, continue to grow the game.”
Do you agree with [Daly] that talks likely won’t go all the way to September 2026 when the current CBA expires?
“Yes, I don’t see that happening. I think you know the reason to start the conversation earlier was that Gary and I talked about this when I started the job, and we’ve seen some great momentum this year with the Four Nations, the incredible Stadium Series event with 92,000 people packed into Ohio State and just the general buzz around the league has been great! People are paying attention to the league a lot more, and we keep that in mind in terms of the desire to seize on that and get something done ahead of the expiration.
Daly mentioned that LTIR (Long-Term Injured Reserve) has been a topic of discussion and he feels there has been progress on a resolution with the matter. Do you feel the same?
“It’s still being discussed, so I really don’t have an update one way or the other. All I can say at this point is we’ve been trading ideas back and forth, and it’s an open discussion. I think that topic, like others, will find its way and progress in accordance with the whole conversation on a new CBA. At the end of the day it’s all tied together with the other topics so when we have everything and everyone on the same page, we will present it to the players and see where it goes from there.”
There seems to be a consensus that with NHL expansion, it’s not a matter of will it happen, but when? Is there an effort to a) make sure the players get a cut of the expansion fees and b) if so, make sure the CBA gets done before the next wave of expansion so the players get their cut?
“I see a lot about that topic in the media and hear that question asked a lot, but to be honest, that’s not a topic that’s really come up yet between Gary and me. There’s nothing set in stone yet when it comes to expansion, just a lot of conversations going on. Is it something that will happen? It seems that way, and if so, we will discuss that then. For now, though, we look at it as if they expand by a team, two teams, three or four, whatever, those are now additional spots for new members in our union, and we will represent them and do whatever we can then. We’ll cross that bridge and then talk about whatever it is we need to—expansion fees, the draft—and how it all affects our players.”
When I interviewed you just after this season began, you said that one of the issues you wanted to address with the league was fans always having the ability to watch the teams they cheer for. Blackouts had become a major issue for fans and you wanted to fix that. Has there been any progress on that topic?
“I believe that’s something that’s been taken care of. …I’m pretty sure, but I am going to check on that.”
OK, because I know during the ECACs, I was in Lake Placid and I couldn’t watch the Bruins or the Sabres.
“Well, I don’t know about that, but I know Bill spoke to the governor and worked with him to get it fixed. But, I will look into this.”
How do the players feel about the state of concussion awareness and prevention, and headshots right now? We’ve seen a couple of incidents in the playoffs—Toronto and Florida, and the spotter allowing [Anthony] Stolarz to go back into the game. Do you and the players think enough is being done to prevent these situations?
“We’re always talking about that. We spoke about how the players can help the safety committee during the All-Star weekend last season. They meet a couple of times a year, and the players are at the board meeting. I know it’s not just CTE, but it’s also head trauma, so we’re gonna talk about that and see what’s going on. I mean, I think you know some of the cases are unavoidable, unfortunately, but yes, some of the plays and some of it is avoidable, so that’s always gonna be for me an important topic for players, to make sure that they’re taken care of and as safe as possible.
James Murphy
