Possible changes coming to ice hockey at the Olympic Games

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has suggested previously that he wouldn’t mind going to the Summer Olympics, when it wouldn’t interfere with the regular season. With new CBA talks on the somewhat-near horizon, there’s a decent chance that the Players’ Association looks to make this a collective-bargaining issue once again.  

At any rate, while these options are already out there, we’re a long way from knowing whether or not NHL players will be going back to the Olympics in Beijing.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

• While Tampa Bay has been active this summer in signing players to extensions, is has not started discussions with center Brayden Point, Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required) reported. The 22-year-old finished third on the Lightning in scoring last season with 66 points (32-34-66) in 82 games. But with all of their commitments for next season already (nearly $66M to just 12 players), it’s going to be difficult for them to work out a long-term deal without having to free up some extra room first.  With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team pursue a bridge contract with Point next summer.
• With the Red Wings expected to struggle next season, MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that the team could look to move defenseman Trevor Daley around the trade deadline. The 34-year-old wouldn’t be a pure rental, as he’s signed through 2019-20, but his offensive skill set and mobility could be enough for a contending team to be willing to take on the extra year of his deal.