NHL commisssioner Gary Bettman said today that Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek is moving closer to keeping control of the club by refinancing the franchise's debts.



Bettman, speaking to the media before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, said it appears Vanderbeek will not be forced to relinquish his shares in the Devils despite the fact the team owes approximately $80 million in debts. He also indicated that July 1 is not the deadline to settle debt and ownership issues and indicated the deadline is some time after that date.



"The New Jersey situation, as we understand it at its most up to date point, is that Jeff Vanderbeek is working to both refinance the debt on the club and equity raise and he appears to be fairly confident that he can pull this off in the next few weeks," Bettman said.



"Since I've been in touch with the banks on a regular basis we seem to be on track."



Bettman also said a story in the New York Post suggesting the Los Angeles Kings are for sale is not true.

Updating several issues, Bettman said labor talks with the NHL Players' Association could begin in the next few weeks. The current collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15.



"We have yet to formally begin discussions with the union. However, I understand the union is now prepared to begin talks and we're in the process of trying to set up dates," Bettman said. "It is my hope that negotiations can begin soon and culminate quickly so that attention can remain where it belongs and where everyone wants it to remain. And that is on the game."



Estimates talks could begin in small groups in the next few weeks.



The commissioner disputed predictions that there will almost certainly be a lockout, most likely to Thanksgiving, before there is a new CBA in place. So if somebody is suggesting it, it's either because there's something in the water, people still have the NBA and NFL on the brain or they're just looking for news on a slow day because it is nothing more than speculation at this point because there can't be an substance to it because there haven't been any substantive negotiations."



"I don't understand both the speculation and the degree of negativity that it connotes, considering that we— meaning the league and Players' Association—have yet to have a substantiative discussion on what we nay each be looking for in collective bargaining," Bettman said.



He said the issue of NHL players taking part in the next winter Olympics is not a negotiating issue and wouldn't confirm that the climate may be more favorable now to avoiding a work stoppage than it was in 2004.



"I don't want to be presumptuous and characterize where we may or may not be right now because we haven't begun the formal exercise," he said. "But if you go back in history, one of the reasons we wound up where we did, we had told the executive director then of the union (Bob Goodenow) four years in advance the systemic problems that had become obvious to us at the time. And we were struggling mightily for a long period of time.

“At that time the union was aware of it and chose to do nothing about it. We’re in a completely different situation. There’s a new executive director (Donald Fehr) who’s gotten himself up to speed, new people and new relationships. Time will tell how this all sorts out. I’m hopeful that it sorts out easily because labor peace is preferable to the alternate.”

Bettman spoke of attendance and revenue this season.



"During the regular season we played to nearly 96 percent of capacity and attracted about 21.5 million people. We're at nearly 102 percent for the playoffs," he said.



"In the face of what remains a challenged economy, we estimate that we did $3.3 million worth of business, which is another records for revenues for us."



He said the league saw a modest decline in concussions, the first time in three years they have declined.