Some relief for hockey fans hoping to avoid any kind of lockout in the near future as the association representing NHL players has announced it will not be reopening the collective bargaining agreement this year. That means the current agreement stays in place until September 15th, 2022, giving both sides three years to reach a new deal before the current one runs out.
Had players decided to reopen the CBA, they would have had just one year to reach a new agreement with the NHL, or a lockout would have occurred. The appetite for another lockout among fans is understandably low. There have been two since 2004 and three since Gary Bettman took over as NHL commissioner in the early 1990s.
The league had already decided it was fine with the current CBA and wouldn't be looking to open it at this time.
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