The Montreal Canadiens are one of the most influential franchises in the NHL, which explains why they'll have a special representative at the Board of Governors Meeting. There is a smaller, more powerful executive committee consisting of chairman Jeremy Jacobs (Boston Bruins), along with owners Murray Edwards (Calgary Flames), Mark Chipman (Winnipeg Jets), Craig Leipold (Minnesota Wild), Ted Leonsis (Washington Capitals), Geoff Molson (Montreal Canadiens), Henry Samueli (Anaheim Ducks), Larry Tanenbaum (Toronto Maple Leafs), Jeff Vinik (Tampa Bay Lightning), and David Blitzer (New Jersey Devils).
There will be many issues on the docket for the Board of Governors meeting, the most important being the upcoming CBA deal, projected cap, and expansion. The current CBA expires in September 2026, but the league and the NHLPA want the deal to be done by the end of this season. The serious talks won't get away this week, but the league hopes there will be a good start to the discussion.
The salary cap will be another topic of discussion. The current cap is $88 million, but most expect it to rise to $92.5 million next season. Elliotte Friedman commented earlier this season that the cap could be even higher next season, which we could see is true after discussions this week.
Gary Bettman also plans to address any expansion questions. There are reports that some teams have come forward as interested in acquiring a franchise, but the league has no plans to expand anytime soon. There is no doubt that the league will eventually have more than 32 teams, but Bettman will wait.
Some other important items on the docket are the Canadian TV deal, which has been put into question with some recent news about TSN being up for sale and the success of the Amazon Prime deal. They'll also discuss some schedule tweaks and future international play.