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NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh: Expansion Fees Will Be Topic In Next CBA Talks

Published: Oct 24, 2024, 11:35 AM
1 min read
Updated: Jul 24, 2025, 11:30 AM
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Sergey Demidov
NHL Players Association Executive Director Marty Walsh

NHL Players Association Executive Director Marty Walsh (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

 

Will the NHL players finally receive a cut of NHL expansion fees via hockey-related revenue (HRR) in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement?

Since 2017, NHL owners have each received an equal share of the combined $2.7 billion the league has received in NHL expansion fees from the Vegas Golden Knights ($500 million), Seattle Kraken ($650 million), and Utah Hockey Club ($1.2 billion). It should be noted that the league bought the Arizona Coyotes for $1 billion before turning around and selling the team to Utah HC owner Ryan Smith for $1.2 billion. Unfortunately for NHL players, expansion fees are not part of the 50/50 HRR split with the NHL players under the CBA, and as a result, the players have not seen a cent of profit from the fees.

New NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh has no grand illusions that NHL owners are just going to suddenly hand over a portion of the profit they make on NHL expansion teams. 

However, with the current CBA expiring in 2026 and with talk of two more teams potentially entering the league, it can’t hurt to at least broach the topic when talks begin for a new CBA.

“I mean, that’s obviously been the way it’s always been so. …” Walsh replied when asked directly by RG if the NHLPA will ask for a cut in NHL expansion fees. “I haven’t had a conversation with Gary Bettman about that. On the positive side, there have been two cities in Las Vegas and Seattle that have recently had very successful expansion processes, and that’s great for the game, obviously. Utah is here now and they’re selling out every game. So, yes, it’s great in that respect, but the players, in terms of HRR, have never benefited from the fees, and the owners' profit number has gone up in a big way every time we’ve had expansion. The owners are obviously not going to say, ‘OK guys, come on in, we want to share this with you,' but I’m sure it will be a conversation at some point.”

Again, Walsh is being realistic about the topic, but he wouldn’t be doing his job as the head of the NHLPA if he didn’t at least ask about it.

“It may be a short conversation, but it will be a conversation,” Walsh quipped. “Look, maybe we can get creative and somehow have it benefit retired players, but again, the problem is, once you don’t have a benefit, or you lose a benefit, it’s hard to get it back in negotiations. Look, I can’t speak to why we haven’t had a cut in the past, but maybe they did fight for it, and I haven’t had the conversations with my predecessors to ask.”

Both Walsh and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly have now confirmed to RG that they share a desire to begin new CBA talks in 2025. Whether this becomes an actual sticking point is yet to be seen but it’s worth watching as NHL expansion rumors continue to swirl.

NHL Reporter
James Murphy is a veteran sports journalist with 25 years of experience covering the NHL, NCAA and CHL, including two decades on the Boston Bruins beat. His work has appeared on NHL.com, NESN, ESPN Boston and more, and he’s made regular TV and radio appearances on NESN, ESPN, TSN and SiriusXM. A familiar face in the hockey world, Murphy has covered multiple Stanley Cup Finals, NHL drafts and playoffs, and now co-hosts The Eye Test podcast with Pierre McGuire, interviewing top NHL executives, coaches and players. He joined RG in 2024 after stints with Boston Hockey Now and LiveBarn.
Interests:
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Daria Tuboltseva
Daria Tuboltseva
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Daria Tuboltseva has worked as a sports journalist since 2014 and has specialized in hockey coverage since 2016. She’s reported from some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including the Olympic Games (Beijing 2022), the FIFA World Cup (2018), the IIHF World Championships (2016–2019, 2021), the IIHF World Junior Championship (2019), and every Gagarin Cup Final since 2017.

Her work has appeared in leading Russian sports outlets like Championat.com and Sport24, as well as on the official websites of the KHL and the Women’s Hockey League (WHL). Daria has conducted exclusive interviews with some of the sport’s most recognized names, including Alex Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, Kirill Kaprizov, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Igor Shesterkin.

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In addition to her media career, Daria is a certified integrative nutritionist with a focus on sports nutrition. She works one-on-one with KHL players, helping them optimize performance and recovery through tailored nutrition plans. Her ability to blend media expertise with athlete support gives her a unique presence in the professional hockey world.

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