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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman addressed an array of topics before Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final on Saturday. Bettman discussed continued uncertainty around the Arizona Coyotes, a small increase for the 2023-24 salary cap, sites for the 2024 Winter Classic and NHL All-Star Game, legal updates and more.
Let's dive into the biggest topics:
NHL salary cap unlikely to see a big increase for 2023-24
In discussing the state of the league, Bettman mixed good news and bad news. While trumpeting approximately $6 billion in revenue (noting “more beans to count”), Bettman explained that escrow issues will likely only translate to about a $1-million increase in the salary cap for the 2023-24 season.
The 2022-23 salary cap was $82.5M, so NHL teams may get approximately $83.5M to work with for 2023-24. Give or take a few beans.
You can be forgiven for getting a “Boy Who Cried Wolf” vibe from this, but there was an implication that the salary cap could shoot up more dramatically for 2024-25.
On a different NHL/NHLPA note, putting together a World Cup of Hockey is a “priority.”
Senators sale nearing a conclusion
The sale of the Ottawa Senators has been one of the biggest talking points league-wide, with the process sounding more like a soap opera than a business transaction of late. Despite the drama that seems to be swirling, Bettman expects the sale to be wrapped up later this month, with a "very good outcome" on the horizon.
Legal/reinstatement updates: Nichushkin, Bowman, Quenneville
There have been ugly headlines for the NHL and hockey as a whole lately, with Bettman and Daly addressing quite a few of them on Saturday.
Valeri Nichushkin is eligible to play for the Colorado Avalanche next season, per Daly, with the league describing Colorado’s handling of the situation as “appropriate.” Body cam footage was recently released relating to the Avalanche forward's hotel incident.
It sounds like both former Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Quenneville have not yet been reinstated by the NHL after resigning in disgrace due to allegations made by Kyle Beach and others. Bowman and Quenneville are likely to meet with the NHL some time after the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.
Finishing off these legal updates, the NHL expects to release a report on its independent investigation of allegations of sexual assault against multiple members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team early this summer.
NHL still holding out hope to keep Coyotes in Arizona
It’s no secret that Bettman is turning over every stone to keep the Coyotes in Arizona. On Saturday, Bettman said the Coyotes will explore what their other options are in “the greater Phoenix area.”
That said, Bettman also acknowledged the league is receiving interest from Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith. Daly added that expansion is not on the top of the league’s priority list.
As with many of the issues in this press conference, the theme remains “to be determined.”
Logos for 2024 Winter Classic, NHL All-Star Game, more
That said, the NHL did share logos for the 2024 Winter Classic (Seattle Kraken vs. Vegas Golden Knights), 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto, the 2024 Stadium Series (New Jersey) and 2023 Heritage Classic (Edmonton).
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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