NHL Begins Preliminary Planning For New Commissioner, Raising Questions About Gary Bettman
The NHL quietly made some front office promotions under Gary Bettman this week which has many asking about his future with the league.
The NHL announced a handful of personnel promotions earlier this week, with Steve McArdle promoted to COO, Keith Wachtel to President of NHL Business, Steve Mayer to President of NHL Content & Events, and Julie Grand to Chief of Staff for Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.
The moves come as a bit of a surprise given the time of year, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman does tend to do things a little differently than most. News of the promotions sparked interest among reporters with some questioning the true motive of them.
On Friday's episode of "32 Thoughts," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman shed some light on the NHL's thought process and outlook for Gary Bettman.
He's indebted to the NFL and I think the NHL likes that..." said Friedman. "There's no doubt in my mind the most qualified person to take over if Bettman ever leaves is Bill Daly. He's been the right hand man for a long time. He knows the league, he's the most seamless person to take over. If it isn't him, they're thinking about 'who's our Roger Goodell?'"
Like Bettman has done, Friedman notes that the league wants to ensure that whoever replaces him does anything and everything to protect the bottom line, which in Bettman's case, would include three different lockouts.
Friedman elaborated on a timeline for the potential replacement of Bettman and suggested that it could be sooner than many expect.
There is no denying that Bettman has done a lot of good for the NHL, like having each team worth over $1B, but he has also done his fair share of damage with three lockouts and withholding players from going to the Olympics.
As the current CBA expires in 2026, everyone is hopeful to get a new agreement done peacefully, which would be a first for Bettman.
As the 72-year-old continues to be booed any time he picks up a microphone in front of fans, which he has pretty openly embraced, the news of a potential succession plan admittedly did come as a surprise on Friday.
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