Report: NHL expected to decline option to reopen CBA

The NHL is expected to announce its intent to decline its option to reopen the current collective bargaining agreement, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The announcement should come within a day or two and is based off progressive discussions with the NHLPA, Dreger adds.

The NHLPA Executive Board and additional players are set to meet Wednesday in Chicago to discuss whether their side wants to opt out for 2020, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported earlier Thursday.

The Players' Association has until Sept. 15 to make a decision. If they opt to reopen negotiations, it will terminate the current CBA and potentially cause a work stoppage in September 2020. If they decline, the agreement runs through the 2020-21 season.

The current CBA was put in place in 2013 after a lengthy dispute between the two parties shortened that season to just 48 games. The NHL and NHLPA also failed to come to terms on an agreement in 2004-05, which wiped out the entire campaign.

Copyright (C) 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.