NHL commish Gary Bettman speaks on implementing NBA-like In-Season Tournament

Following the Board of Governors meeting conclusion on Tuesday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman revealed plans on whether the league will follow in the footsteps of the NBA to implement its in-season tournament.

The NBA's inaugural In-Season tournament has continued to capture the hearts of millions of basketball fans around the globe and will see its debutant winner on Saturday.

When asked if the NHL would organize an in-season tournament like the NBA, Gary Bettman ruled out the possibility and said that the NHL is content with its regular season.

However, Bettman indicated that the NHL will hold an international best-on-best tournament (via The Athletic):

“We like our regular season,” said Bettman. “For us it doesn’t address anything that we think we need. To the extent we’re going to do an in-season tournament, it’ll be an international best-on-best.”

The NHL is holding plans to hold an in-season best-of-best international tournament. As per reports, the tournament is expected to take place in February 2025.

The teams for the tournament have not been confirmed yet, but it is reported that the tournament is likely to be contested between four teams: the United States, Finland, Canada and Sweden.

With the 2026 Winter Olympics set to take place in Italy, the 2024 draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and the league's plan for possible expansion, Bettman cited Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Quebec City as interested candidates for an expansion.

Bettman also revealed that the league's revenue projection for this season is $6.2 billion. These were some of the key points Bettman addressed following the Board of Governors meeting.

"Most people will see it as good news": Gary Bettman on salary cap increasing

The NHL is projected to have a salary cap increase of $87.7 million for the 2024/25 season. The league's current salary cap is $83.5 million, a rise of $1 million from the 2022-23 season.

Before that, the NHL salary cap remained flat at $81.5 million for three straight seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cap for the next season will see the biggest single-season jump of $4.5 million in salary cap. Additionally, the significant rise in the salary cap hints at a positive outcome for players, the franchise, and the NHL.

Here's what Gary Bettman said about salary cap increasing:

"I think most people will see it as good news," Bettman said of the salary cap increasing."