The NHL and NHLPA have finalized protocols for the season to resume this summer in Edmonton and Toronto, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN.
As of Sunday night, the parties are still finalizing details for a memorandum of understanding for the extension of a collective bargaining agreement.
The protocols for returning to Phase 3 (training ground) and Phase 4 (24-team tournament) are detailed in a 40-page document. It will have to be approved by the NHLPA executive committee, which is made up of a representative from the 31 teams. Once this is done, the entire package, both the return-to-play protocol and the CBA extension, will undergo a membership vote of all NHL players. The NHL board of governors must also ratify the package.
The Associated Press first reported that the protocols have been finalized.
The NHL is now aiming for a July 13 start date for training camps, sources told ESPN. If everything goes according to plan, the teams will travel to the central cities on July 25 or 26 and the games will start before August 1. The Eastern Conference teams will play in Toronto while the Western Conference teams will be in Edmonton.
The 24-team tournament will conclude with a Stanley Cup final in Edmonton, probably in early October.
The protocols include an agreement that no player will be penalized if they choose not to participate, and they do not have to give a reason for wanting to exclude themselves, sources told ESPN. Players have until 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday to notify their teams if they are choosing not to participate, sources say.
Family members will not be able to join players in the bubble until the conference finals, a source says, and if the teams fail to follow protocols, it could lead to “significant financial penalties” and possible loss of teams. draft.
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