The NHL could play a 56-game regular season. When might it start?
The National Hockey League is ready to return and play hockey again.
The NHL and the NHL Players Association have reached a tentative agreement to start a new season in 2021, deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed in an email to The News & Observer Friday. Daly said the deal was pending approval of the executive boards of the league and the players.
The NHL would play a 56-game schedule, it was reported by the TSN media outlet in Canada and website Sportsnet. The season will begin Jan. 13, with preseason training camps to open Jan. 3, pending final approval from the league and players.
Everything remains tentative, in that changing conditions with the pandemic and a surge in coronavirus cases could result in a delay or other disruptions. But the plan is to play.
No final decision has been reached on the makeup of the divisions, it was reported. There have been media reports about an all-Canada division because of Canadian travel restrictions during the pandemic, the N&O previously reported. It also was reported Friday that teams could have a “taxi squad” similar to an NFL practice squad in addition to the 23-man rosters.
Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada reported Friday that the Stanley Cup playoffs would be be made up of the top four teams in each of four divisions.
The NHL paused the 2019-20 season in March when it became unsafe to continue during the pandemic. The league’s decision came after the NBA suspended its season, and other leagues soon followed.
The NHL and NHLPA agreed in July to a new collective bargaining agreement and a “Return to Play” format that allowed the league to have a postseason and close out 2019-20. Twenty-four teams began play in two bubble cities, Toronto and Edmonton, and the Stanley Cup was won by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The seven teams that were not in the 2020 postseason will be allowed to open their training camps Dec. 31, it was reported.
The NHL last agreed to an abbreviated schedule in 2012-13, when there was a lockout before a new CBA was approved. The teams played 48 games in the regular season before the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Hurricanes have reached the playoffs the past two seasons and were eliminated both times by the Boston Bruins. The Canes have made few changes to their roster since losing to Boston in Toronto, adding free-agent forward Jesper Fast.
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 8:21 PM.
