The NHL is expected to officially announce the cancellation of regular season games on Thursday afternoon due to the ongoing collective bargainning negotiations between the NHL and NHL Players Association.

With the regular season scheduled to begin on Oct. 11, time has become an issue in relation to the negotiations. Even if the two sides were able to come to terms on a new agreement in the near future, it likely wouldn't give the players enough time to return to North America, especially considering how many are currently playing overseas.

However, the last round of negotiations were tumultuous with little progress being made, making a swift resolution to this conflict unlikely. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated that the discussions weren't overly encouraging and the NHLPA expressed a similar sentiment. The two sides remain at odds over key issues including core economics and defining hockey related revenue.

According to multiple reports, the next set of negotiations are expected to occur sometime next week.