The NHL and NHLPA have reached a tentative deal on a 56-game season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has learned.
Following a conference call, the NHLPA’s executive board is in favour of progressing with the agreement, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston adds. The NHL’s board of governors will also hold a call regarding the agreement, likely on either Sunday or Monday. Both the players’ association and the board still must vote to ratify the deal before it becomes official.
The tentative agreement calls for no exhibition games to be played, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported, meaning the NHL will go directly from the off-season and training camps into regular season games.
As has been previously reported, the plan would be to start the season on Jan. 13, though the date is not finalized. This hope aligns with the NHL’s prior plan, which included the mid-January start date. Under the new agreement, training camps will start on Dec. 31 for non-playoff teams and Jan. 3 for playoff teams.
The NHL is planning to go with a proposed division realignment that includes a seven-team Canadian division which will require approval from local health officials. If games cannot be played in Canada, the NHL has considered a plan that would see Canada’s teams play their seasons in the United States.
At the conclusion of the 56-game regular season, the top four teams in each division will make the playoffs, Friedman reported. Each division will produce a champion for the Stanley Cup semifinals.
As Johnston noted, if the necessary hurdles are cleared to create an all-Canadian division, this arrangement would guarantee a Canadian team reaches the final four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In addition to the scheduling decisions, the agreement features at least three roster-related elements as well. Friedman reported that there will be no proration of salaries, teams will have a 23-man roster with a four-to-six player taxi squad, and teams will have the option to “toll” the contracts of players who opt out of the season — meaning a player who has one year left on their contract would stay with that team for the remaining term.
Players on one-way deals will have their contracts dealt with the same way whether they’re on an NHL roster, assigned to a taxi squad, or sent to the AHL, meaning they will be subject to 10 per cent salary deferral and 20 per cent escrow payments. The players who are in the AHL on two-way contracts will have a prorated salary based on how many games are played in that league, with a 40 per cent minimum salary payout.
As part of the league’s COVID-19 protocols, players will be tested every other day, possibly every day, and will be expected to have little outside contact.