There is the critical outstanding issue of whether Canadian health authorities will permit the NHL’s seven teams north of the border to play out of their home cities, but the league and the NHL Players’ Association appear to have resolved all other transition issues and COVID-19 protocols relating to the 2020-21 season.
Thus, a Jan. 13 puck drop on a 56-game season, preceded by training camps that would commence Jan. 3, remains on target, though sources have indicated the date could still be pushed back, depending upon resolution of the Canadian issue.
The league’s Seven Dwarfs, the teams that did not participate in the 24-team Stanley Cup tournament this past season, would be authorized to open camps on Dec. 30.The Board of Governors will schedule a vote this weekend to ratify the agreement that was forged through weeks of negotiations, interrupted by the league’s attempt to revise a portion of the six-year collective bargaining agreement that was adopted in July. The NHLPA had a conference call of the executive board Friday night, though it is unknown whether a vote of that body or of the full membership has been scheduled.
Sources indicated that teams will carry taxi squads of between four and six players who will practice and travel with the varsity while receiving their full AHL salaries. Salary-cap implications regarding recalls related to COVID-19 issues remain unclear. It is also unclear how the league will treat players who test positive and what the threshold would be for postponing games in the event of a team breakout.
Canadian health agencies and government bodies at the federal, provincial and local level have been loath to grant professional sports teams and revenue-generating collegiate sports programs the same largesse as has the United States federal government and state and local boards.
The Blue Jays played the 2020 baseball season using Buffalo as their home base. The Raptors have relocated to Tampa for the start of the 2020-21 NBA season. If the league is unable to strike a deal with the proper authorities, two options appear to be on the table for the NHL’s Canadian franchises.
One would entail creating a hub location, likely in Edmonton, in which the Oilers, Flames, Canucks, Jets, Senators, Maple Leafs and Canadiens would play in a self-contained division for at least the start of the season.
The other would involve relocating the seven teams to alternate sites in the U.S., two of which could conceivably be Long Island and Newark, given the availability of one-team arenas and practice rinks either on site or within hailing distance.
Neither alternative is particularly favorable for players, coaches and staff, who would have to move, presumably leaving families behind.
If the clubs relocate to the U.S., the NHL would have to adjust its proposed, geographically realigned divisions — which includes a Canadian division — for the season. The league intends for intradivisional play only in order to minimize travel as much as possible.
The NHL is hoping that this issue will be resolved by Monday or Tuesday of next week.
