NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly explained that only once a deal between his organisation, the National Hockey League Players' Association, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is reached to allow players to compete in a fifth straight Winter Games would a schedule be made public.

"There has been no final agreement on the terms of Olympic participation at this point," Daly told NHL.com.

"And unless, or until, there is, the release of the 2013-2014 regular-season schedule would be premature."

Sochi 2014 is scheduled to take place on February 7-23, spelling a clash in the middle of the NHL season.

If the bodies come together to form an agreement the NHL would have to suspend play for at least two weeks for players to compete in the Russian Olympics.

Daly did, however, move to calm fears that an agreement could not be reached and said he hoped that "a final resolution on both matters can be achieved in the very near future".

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