![NHL and Union Discuss 4 Nations, Salary Cap, and LTIR at Cup Final Address NHL and Union Discuss 4 Nations, Salary Cap, and LTIR at Cup Final Address](https://i1.wp.com/a3.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2024%2F0609%2Fr1343487_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
SUNRISE, Fla. — The winner of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament will be crowned at TD Garden in Boston next February.
The NHL and the NHL Players Association revealed details of their new international tournament, which will feature players representing the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden competing in a round-robin tournament from February 12-20, 2025.
Four games will be played at the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens. TD Garden, home of the Boston Bruins, will host two round-robin games (Canada-Finland and United States-Sweden), as well as the championship game on February 20.
“Two iconic cities. We thought it was important to have some exposure in Canada,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Saturday. “Obviously we have 32 franchises, so we could have put them anywhere, but those were the two that came out on top.”
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The current North American NHL broadcast rights holders (Disney, Turner and Rogers) will broadcast the 4 Nations Face-Off games. On February 15, 2025, KeynoteUSA will have a doubleheader of Sweden-Finland and the highly anticipated matchup between the United States and Canada at the Bell Centre.
KeynoteUSA will broadcast the championship game.
All 4 Nations Face-Off games will be played in accordance with NHL rules. Each team will play three tournament games in the traditional round-robin format, under the following points system: 3 for victory in regulation time; 2 for victory in overtime/penalties; 1 for loss in overtime or penalty shootout; and 0 for loss in regulation time. The two teams with the best record in the tournament will advance to a single-game final.
The first six players for each team will be announced on June 28.
“The players are absolutely excited about this and the opportunity to compete internationally again, as a tournament leading up to the (2026) Olympic Games,” NHLPA CEO Marty Walsh said.
The NHL and NHLPA opted not to have the semifinals or a consolation game before the championship game due to the short time of the event.
“We’re doing this tournament instead of the All-Star Game. It’s a long period of time and we didn’t want to drag it out too much,” Daly said.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is also worth mentioning for those who are not there. Bruins star David Pastrnak shook up the NHL after the Czech Republic won the IIHF world championship last month, posting a photo of himself holding the trophy with the caption: “Maybe Four Nation invites now?”
The tournament also does not include Germany, home of Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, or Switzerland, which features several notable NHL players.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the time window for the tournament meant field had to be limited.
“We also wanted in this tournament, as we prepare for the Olympics and the World Cup, for all the NHL players to be NHL players. These four countries fit together better than any other,” he said.
Then there is the current problem with Russia, which was also left out of the tournament. The IIHF has banned Russia and Belarus from international hockey until 2025 due to the war in Ukraine.
“There is a lot we can do under the current circumstances as we see them,” Bettman said. “Whether it’s the 4 Nations or the World Cup, people will have opinions on things we could have done differently. I think it’s fair to say that a lot of time and effort with the players’ association has led us to what we believe is “The best place for us to be right now.”
The NHL and NHLPA commented on several other league topics during the nearly 40-minute press conference:
Salary cap for 2024-25
The NHL and NHLPA announced that the salary cap for next season will be set at $88 million, slightly higher than previously projected.
The minimum salary cap is $65 million.
“I know GMs and teams are excited to have more flexibility, and that means revenue is as strong as we’ve been telling them all along,” Bettman said.
“I predict it will continue to go up. I think we will continue to have solid growth at the limit.”
Walsh said he’s hopeful players will get all the money they put into escrow this season back in case NHL owners have a revenue shortfall. The escrow was set at 6% for 2023-24.
What’s next for LTIR?
One way teams have gotten around salary cap limitations is through waiving long-term injured reserve. Teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights have had players go on LTIR, where their salaries don’t count against the cap, at the end of the regular season just to activate them for Game 1 of the playoffs.
Daly sought feedback from general managers on the NHL’s executive committee in March on whether the league should investigate changes to LTIR rules. He said that most of his interlocutors would like to see the LTIR rules addressed in some way, but that “none of them thought it would be a major competitive issue in the near term.”
Daly left the door open to negotiate changes to LTIR rules with actors in the next collective bargaining agreement. The current one has two years left.
There is no timetable for expansion
Bettman and Walsh declined to offer a timeline for future NHL expansion.
“We continue to deal with expressions of interest. We are not going to disclose, at this time, a formal expansion process,” Bettman said. “We are happy that at least half a dozen places continue to show interest in us.”
Both the NHL and NHLPA were effusive in their praise of the league’s newest market in Utah, where the Arizona Coyotes have relocated for the upcoming season. Smith Entertainment Group, owner of the Utah team, has received more than 34,000 season ticket deposits since April 18. Season tickets for the team went on sale to the public on Friday, and Bettman said the early returns are “extraordinarily strong” for the team. .
“I think things are going even better than we could have expected based on the short period of time they’ve had to work with,” Bettman said. “They are literally drinking from a fire hose and doing incredibly well.”
Walsh said feedback from players has been uniformly positive.
“They finally get a chance to play in a stadium they should be playing in,” he said. The Coyotes had played home games at the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena in Arizona.
Walsh was a vocal critic of the Coyotes, who called the college hockey arena home as they sought to build a new NHL-sized building. But the head of the NHLPA said he is fine with the NHL negotiating a relocation deal that would allow Arizona owner Alex Meruelo to revive the Coyotes as an expansion team.
“It wasn’t personal,” Walsh said. “I mean, it might have sounded personal, but it’s not. He was representing my players. If he’s able to live by the terms of what they agreed to, we’ll see what happens.”
No updates on the Canadian quartet
Daly said it’s the “status quo” for the four players charged in Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team sexual assault investigation and their pending free agent status. NHL players Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames and Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils are restricted free agents this summer and, as such, need qualifying offers from their teams to retain their rights. .
“I’ve had a couple of inquiries from clubs so far. The status quo would be that whatever rights the CBA has for clubs and players, we will honor them,” said Daly, who said he has spoken to the NHLPA. about the topic. “It is very possible that the clubs will have the decision whether to qualify or not at the end of this month.”
The players will not go to trial until next season.
Outdoor play in Florida?
Bettman did not end speculation that the Florida Panthers, who hosted Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night, could soon have a game inside LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.
After next season, the Panthers and Utah will be the only teams that have not participated in a game in the NHL arena.
“I understand it’s very nice. It also has a roof and air conditioning,” Bettman said. “I’m not going to give any news today, but we are aware of the fact that at some point it would be good for the Panthers to be in an outdoor game and that’s why we continue to explore options.
“We did something a little different last year by holding two games in 24 hours at the same location. We can only speculate what the future holds in that regard.”
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