The NHL has not decided whether to let its players participate in the Olympics beyond this year, according to an ESPN.com report.

With the league set to push pause on its season for the Sochi Olympics, deputy commissioner Bill Daly also is allowing for the possibility of a security issue that could keep the players from traveling to Russia at all.

"As of now, we do not doubt that all necessary steps are being taken by the Sochi Organizing Committee, the Russian government and the IOC to ensure the safety of the athletes and guests in Sochi," Daly wrote Monday in an email to The AP. "Obviously, if something significant were to transpire between now and February 9 that causes us to question that conclusion, we will re-evaluate. I don't expect that that will become necessary."