The NHL's involvement at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang appears further dim.
The International Olympic Committee is reportedly unwilling to cover transportation and insurance costs required to have NHL players participate in the event, International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel told Inside the Games at the SportAccord Convention in Lausanne, Switzerland.
"Our wish is to have the best players," Fasel said. "(But the IOC) not covering the cost as they did at the last five Olympic Games puts us in a difficult financial situation.
"We still have challenges - it is even more difficult than before."
Though the Olympics have helped its profile as an international showcase, the NHL has previously held reservations about lending its players to the competition during the season, even when the operating costs - estimated between $10 and $14 million - weren't its responsibility.
The belief, according to the Inside the Games report, is that the IOC is wary of other sport bodies seeking similar compensation.
Meanwhile, the NHL-branded World Cup of Hockey will be reintroduced this summer in Toronto.
