Bettman says salary cap talks between NHL, NHLPA have not happened yet

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL and the players' union have not had any discussions about changes to the salary cap yet.

On Saturday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the salary cap has been a topic of discussion as the NHLPA travels to meet with different teams as part of its annual fall tour.

"Basically we have two paths to follow here," Friedman reported on Hockey Night in Canada. "No. 1 is they keep the cap at $92.5 (million) and then there is a huge jump the year after in 2026-27. Or, what the players say they've kind of been told about is the possibility the cap moves higher next year, probably around the $95-97 (million) area."

Friedman added that any changes to the cap would need to be negotiated with the league. The current collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the players expires after the 2025-26 season.

"Now there's no confirmation of which one is going to happen but I'm hearing that it's definitely going to be discussed and that there is some optimism that they can find a way to do it," Friedman said. "But nothing will get done until it's done."

When asked about Friedman's report Monday, Bettman said "Anything is possible" but added, "The numbers weren't anywhere close to accurate."

"I don't know where that came from," the commissioner told reporters in Ottawa, where he was making a stop on his own tour around the league. "Any change would require an agreement between us, the league and the players' association in terms of how it's computed and we haven't had those discussions."

The current collective bargaining agreement was originally completed in January of 2013 but a four-year extension was negotiated in July of 2020 as the league grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This season, the salary cap ceiling is $88 million.