NHL, NHLPA Reach Tentative Agreement On 2020-21 Season
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have finally reached a tentative agreement on the 2020-21 season, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. The agreement is pending a majority vote by both parties before they can officially mark the season down on the calendar.
The NHL has reached an agreement with the NHLPA on the season, pending respective votes by each side.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 19, 2020
NHL plans to schedule a Board of Governors call/vote sometime this weekend. The NHLPA already had an exec board call scheduled for 8 pm ET tonight.
Under the agreement, training camps are scheduled to open on December 31 for the seven teams that failed to qualify for the Return to Play back on August 1. All other teams will report to camp on January 3, before tentatively kicking off the season on January 13. Even though the agreement has been finalized, all dates are still subject to change.
No proration of salaries; no exhibition games; non-playoff teams get a few extra days of camp
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 19, 2020
Elliotte Friedman also notes that players will have the option of opting out of the season, and teams will be allowed to carry over those contracts to the following year in the event of an opt out. Exhibition games also won’t be present this season, and teams will jump right into the 56-game regular season at the conclusion of training camp.
Finally, the issues surrounding the seven Canadian teams still has not yet been resolved, but there is hope of resolving throughout the weekend. Either way, with tonight’s agreement in place, it appears as if we’re well on our way to having a 2020-21 season.
There will likely be more information seeping out throughout the evening, so be sure to check back for any additional updates as they are made available.
Thoughts?