The International Olympic Committee engaged with the NHL this week.

While it is unclear if the IOC offered the NHL everything they would need to have their players return to the Olympic stage, the needle moved.

The NHL would still need a new CBA agreement with the NHLPA before they could formally agree to have their players participate at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing or beyond.

NHL players have not competed at the Olympics since the 2014 Sochi Games where Canada defeated Sweden 3-0 to claim the gold medal.

The Olympic Athletes from Russia won the Olympic title at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, the first without the NHL’s participation since 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway.