BOCA RATON, Fla. — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the league is "aware of and focused on all possibilities" related to the new coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking at the conclusion of the league's general managers meetings Wednesday, Bettman said the NHL has been in communication with both the Centers for Disease Control in the United States and Health Canada on the widening crisis.

He added the league has been regularly updating all 31 of its teams.

The commissioner described the situation as "day-to-day" as COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, but declined to speculate about the potential of playing games in empty arenas or postponing the playoffs.

The NBA has told its players to stop high-fiving fans and strangers, and avoid taking any item for autographs, but Bettman said the NHL hasn't issued a similar directive.

Switzerland's top hockey league has postponed its playoffs until the middle of March, while a number of sporting events around the world have been cancelled as countries struggle to contain the virus.

Bettman said the NHL has banned business travel outside North America for its employees, but it currently remains up to individual clubs to make individual determinations.

Canada now has 33 cases of the new coronavirus while Washington state has reported a total of nine deaths.

In other news Wednesday, the league announced next season's salary cap will fall somewhere between US$84 million and $88.2 million, but the final number will have to be negotiated with the NHL Players' Association. The cap is set at $81.5 million for the 2019-20 campaign.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2020.