The NHL will not exercise its right to reopen the collective bargaining agreement next year, the league announced Friday.

"Based on the current state of the game and the business of the game, the NHL believes it is essential to continue building upon the momentum we have created with our players and, therefore, will not exercise its option to reopen the CBA. Rather, we are prepared to have the current CBA remain in effect for its full term - three more seasons through the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.

"It is our hope that a continued, sustained period of labor peace will enable us to further grow the game and benefit all constituent groups: NHL players, clubs, our business partners, and most important, our fans," commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

The NHL had until Sunday to make its decision.

The NHLPA executive board and additional players who wish to attend are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Chicago. The deadline for the NHLPA to reopen CBA discussions is Sept. 15, but both sides could potentially agree to push back the NHLPA's deadline if a deal can't be struck by then, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

If the players opt to reopen negotiations, the current CBA will be terminated, potentially resulting in a work stoppage in September 2020. The current agreement will run through the 2020-21 season should they decline.

The NHL and NHLPA reached a deal for the current CBA in 2013 following a prolonged dispute that shortened the 2012-13 season to 48 games. The league also lost the entire 2004-05 season after the two parties failed to come to terms on an agreement prior to that campaign.

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Jonathan Drouin knows the Montreal Canadiens need his best every night if they're going to succeed.

"Last year, I fell off toward the end of the season," the forward said, according to NHL.com. "This summer, I looked at why that happened and at the things that I can change so that it doesn't happen this year. I have to be consistent for 82 games."

Drouin enjoyed a terrific start to the 2018-19 campaign, tallying 37 points over his first 52 contests. The 24-year-old recorded just four goals and 16 points over his final 30 games, however, as the Canadiens missed the playoffs by two points.

"Who knows, if it weren't for those 30 games I had at the end of last year, maybe we're in the playoffs," he said. "For me, it's just to be able to look at myself in the mirror and know that I did something to be able to help our team make the playoffs this year."

This summer, Drouin turned to Canadiens assistant coach Dominique Ducharme - his former coach with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads - to help him analyze video to better understand his strengths and weaknesses. That offseason initiative has impressed head coach Claude Julien.

"A guy who takes charge of his career and his situation is a good sign," Julien said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "He's still a young player, so that's the exciting part of it. He's a young player that wants to improve, so hopefully, that's what's going to happen. If he does, he's going to make our team that much better.

"He has the ability to be an impact player when he wants to be."

Drouin signed a six-year, $33-million contract with the Canadiens in June 2017 after Montreal acquired him in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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Both the New Jersey Devils and Wayne Simmonds are coming off a highly disappointing 2018-19 campaign, which is why the rugged winger thinks they're a perfect match.

"Our minds are set the same way. I didn't have a good year; they didn't have a good year," Simmonds told Sportsnet's Luke Fox from BioSteel Camp. "It's redemption for both myself and New Jersey, wanting to come back and prove to the league that I'm a good player and they're a good organization. It just fit well."

Simmonds was an unrestricted free agent this summer. He signed a one-year, $5-million deal with the Devils after being traded to the Nashville Predators at last season's deadline.

"I'm coming off a down year. I realize that. I know my worth, and I'm not going to sign for anything under my worth. So, it's kind of a prove-it deal, right?" Simmonds said. "Be healthy, play your game, and get back to where you want to be."

The 31-year-old had his worst showing in years last season, posting just 17 goals and 13 assists in 79 games. The dip in production came after six consecutive full seasons of burying 24 or more tallies, and can largely be attributed to a slew of injuries he dealt with the previous season.

"I actually got to work out this summer - that's a huge difference. Last year I had bilateral hernia surgery, torn abductor and hip surgery, so when you're rehabbing all summer and you don't get a chance to work out, your mind thinks you can do anything but your body tells you something different," Simmonds said.

The Devils finished last in the Metropolitan Division one year after making a stunning push to the playoffs on the back of Taylor Hall's MVP season.

New Jersey is in a good position to improve in 2019-20, though. On top of adding Simmonds, the club also brought in P.K. Subban and Nikita Gusev in separate trades, and drafted phenom Jack Hughes No. 1 overall in June.

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The NHL is expected to announce its intent to decline its option to reopen the current collective bargaining agreement, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The announcement should come within a day or two and is based off progressive discussions with the NHLPA, Dreger adds.

The NHLPA Executive Board and additional players are set to meet Wednesday in Chicago to discuss whether their side wants to opt out for 2020, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported earlier Thursday.

The Players' Association has until Sept. 15 to make a decision. If they opt to reopen negotiations, it will terminate the current CBA and potentially cause a work stoppage in September 2020. If they decline, the agreement runs through the 2020-21 season.

The current CBA was put in place in 2013 after a lengthy dispute between the two parties shortened that season to just 48 games. The NHL and NHLPA also failed to come to terms on an agreement in 2004-05, which wiped out the entire campaign.

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The NHL Players' Association executive board, comprised of player representatives from all 31 teams, will meet in Chicago on Sept. 4 for a CBA update discussion, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Other players will also attend the meeting, LeBrun notes.

The NHLPA has until Sept. 15 to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement, which is scheduled to run through the 2020-21 season. The NHL has until Sept. 1 to make its own decision on the matter.

The two sides have held multiple meetings throughout the summer, LeBrun adds, but it's unclear how much progress has been made.

Both parties will look to avoid a labor stoppage after failing to do so during each of the previous two negotiations. The NHL lost an entire season in 2004-05 and convened a 48-game campaign in 2012-13 after the league and the NHLPA reached an agreement in January 2013.

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