NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly has admitted the situation surrounding players from the competition participating at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics is unlikely to become any clearer ©Getty Images

National Hockey League (NHL) deputy commissioner Bill Daly has admitted the situation surrounding players from the competition participating at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics is unlikely to become any clearer following a meeting of its Board of Governors, which begins today and concludes tomorrow.

Daly said he did not think they were "in a position to yet ask the Board to make a definitive decision on whether or not we are prepared to shut down our season again to accommodate Olympic participation".

A final decision is set to be made in January, with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman claiming last month that the row would not "drift into the spring".

It comes amid continued negotiations and debate as to whether competitors from the world’s leading ice hockey league will take to the ice in South Korea.

Players from the NHL have participated in the last five editions of the Olympic Games but discussions have stalled in the last year after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reduced the amount of financial support they were prepared to offer.

IOC President Thomas Bach claimed earlier this month that it was in the "interest of all parties" to see athletes from the league represent their countries at Pyeongchang 2018.

This came as a latest offer to ensure their presence was rejected.

Don Fehr, executive director of the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA), has confirmed how the body have formally turned down a deal which would have permitted Winter Olympic participation in return for an extension to their current collective bargaining agreement.

This was last negotiated during a strike that led to almost half of the 2012-13 season being missed and is due to expire in 2022.

It is not yet known whether an agreement will be reached for NHL players to compete at Pyeongchang 2018 ©Getty Images
It is not yet known whether an agreement will be reached for NHL players to compete at Pyeongchang 2018 ©Getty Images

NHL officials were hoping to use the Pyeongchang carrot to force an extension until 2025.

International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President René Fasel admitted to insidethegames in April that reaching a deal was "even more difficult" than before and claimed during the recent World Cup of Hockey that prospects remained "50-50".

Fasel estimates that costs will come to around $10 million (£7 million/€9 million) due to the long flights involved to Korea.

He claimed he will be able to raise the money himself through IIHF funds and by soliciting help within the sport and from other supporters.

NHL owners would have to shut down the season for at least two weeks in February 2018 if a green light is given.

Risk of injury and burnout are among other concerns.

"We will obviously brief the Board on where things stand with respect to the proposal to have NHL players participate in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in South Korea," Daly said on the eve of today’s NHL Board of Governors meeting.

"I think it's safe to say we still have a lot of questions, and I don't think we are in position yet to ask the Board to make a definitive decision on whether or not we are prepared to shut down our season again to accommodate Olympic participation."