NHL commissioner Gary Bettman provides substantial update on the World Cup of hockey that changes things

The NHL has decided to go rogue, as Gary Bettman has had a slight rebellious streak with the league's latest announcement.

According to NHL Insider Darren Dreger, the NHL will be moving forward to organize the 2028 World Cup of Hockey without hockey's governing body, the IIHF, being involved.

This could prove to be a risky bet for Bettman and company, as it appears that eight teams will be competing in 2028 in the next WCOH.

For other international teams to play in the tournament, the NHL has chosen to break off from IIHF rulings and move forward with the next international tournament. Rendering the Four Nations Face Off, a one-and-done tourney.

It's been confirmed by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly that 8 countries will participate in 2028.

This could give Russia a loophole to participate in the WCOH again, something we haven't seen them participate in since 2016. The caliber of talent just skyrocketed if Russia is included in the tournament.

With IIHF sanctions, they will not have the chance to ice players likeAlex Ovechkin or Artemi Panarin in 2028. Now that the NHL is going deregulatory, what is the next kind of sanctions they will ignore?

This kind of decision could be a big payday for both hockey fans and the NHL, which organizes the tournament. It could be the start of more international competition regularly between Olympic competitions..