With labor negotiations stalled, there does not appear to be any hope of preserving a full 82-game NHL season by Thursday's deadline.
"Unfortunately, it looks like an 82-game season is not going to be a reality," commissioner Gary Bettman said at a news conference from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Bettman painted a bleak picture on the state of negotiations with players and said the union "has chosen not to engage on our proposal."