I'd agree if the players weren't unionized, but the only time he's been able to hold direct sway over NHL participation to my recollection is a non-unionized coach (Quenneville) who wasn't part of the CBA. "Suspended" would imply that Bettman would take direct action to remove his ability to play, "ineligible" indicates there's some unnamed CBA criteria the player has not met to be able to play. With Boston stepping away I assume we'll never know what Gary had in mind or if it was just PR fluff.