Insider Elliotte Friedman Reveals Who The Next NHL Commissioner Will Be

Friedman feels that Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly is the most likely candidate to replace Bettman as he has had a long-standing relationship with the NHL and has worked for the league over the last 20 years.

There has been chatter over the past couple of years to when Bettman will decide to call it career as he has been with the league for over 30 years. During his time as commissioner, he has had three lockouts, several expansion teams and some relocations and also guided the NHL through the 2019 COVID pandemic.

His reputation as commissioner has always been a white-hot subject as most fans do not care or like the commissioner for how he runs the league as he is always followed by boos from fans every time he speaks at any event in the arena.

It remains to be seen on what a post Bettman NHL would look like and if Daly becomes the new commissioner, there's a strong possibility that he may run the league very similar to Bettman.

Many hope that there will be changes on a wide scale to the NHS including TV rights to allow everyone to watch their games and teams no matter where they are in North America, salaries for players and other issues.

In the meantime, Bettman's in charge with both the league and the NHLPA staring at another potential lockout situation by 2026.