The NHLPA is expected to discuss the appointment this week as players gather for All-Star weekend in Florida.
Walsh, who served as mayor of Boston from 2014 to 2021 when he received his cabinet appointment, would replace Don Fehr, who has held the job for 12 years.
US Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is emerging a a leading candidate to become the director of the NHL Players’ Association, according to multiple reports.
ESPN reports Walsh has been recommended by a search committee and would need 18 of the 32 votes — each team’s players get a vote — to be approved.
The collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA expires in 2026.
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Walsh, who grew up in Dorchester, has extensive labor experience. He got his start working as a union employee before leading the Building and Construction Trades Council from 2011 to 2013.
He also played a role in MLB and the MLBPA reaching an agreement on a CBA in 2022.
After MLB commissioner Rob Manfred imposed a lockout Dec. 2, 2021, Walsh began making a series of roughly 10-15 calls combined to the two sides the next three months. When the talks stalled and collapsed, and the 2022 baseball season stood on the brink of real peril, he made a strongly worded call to the owners, encouraging them to try even harder to get a deal done.
If he were to get the job, Walsh would be the second Massachusetts politician in recent months to jump into the sports space. Charlie Baker, former governor of Massachusetts, was named the next president of the NCAA in December.
Katie McInerney can be reached at katie.mcinerney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @k8tmac.