Addressing the media on Wednesday in Edmonton prior to the Oilers’ Game 1 matchup with the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman offered a positive assessment of the league’s negotiations with the NHL Players’ Association on a new collective bargaining agreement.

“I think we’re in really good shape, having really good discussions,” Bettman said. “We’re in a really good place in terms of our relationship.”

Bettman let reporters know that no deal was ready to be announced, but he also noted that the sides are at an early stage of negotiations.

The league and the NHLPA began meeting in April, with the current CBA set to expire after the 2025-26 season.

NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh struck a similar positive tone on Wednesday, describing their progress as being steady and that he felt good about where talks stood.

The NHL last experienced a work stoppage during the 2012-13 season, when teams managed to play just 48 games apiece (as opposed to the normal 82 games). The league has only once lost an entire season due to lockout, in 2004-05. There were also stoppages in 1994-95 and 1992.

Both sides expect talks to continue throughout the finals.

“We are having very constructive, professional, cordial dialogue,” Bettman added.

Also on Wednesday, NHL officials spoke on the topics of the Olympics and expansion, acknowledging that Russian players, at present, are still ineligible to compete at the upcoming Winter Olympics games in Milan, Italy.

On expansion, it was noted that the league continues to receive interest from different markets about adding teams, but the NHL has no immediate plans to expand.

Per multiple media reports, the leading expansion candidates are Atlanta and Houston.

–Field Level Media