The NHL’s hope of kicking off the season on January 1 is almost over. The league and the NHL Players’ Association are now focusing their discussions on the game’s opening in mid-January, a person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press on Friday.
A launch date in mid-January has become more realistic as the number of issues have to be resolved before players can travel to their hometowns, according to the person who spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity as the discussions are private.
The two teams still have to agree on a schedule. The current work schedule includes between 52 and 56 games in the regular season. There is also talk of a buffer being built into the schedule if games are postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the person said.
Without going into details, NHL Vice Commissioner Bill Daly told The AP that “several similar concepts are being discussed” when asked about the 52 or 56 game schedule and launch in mid-January.
Also to be resolved is a one-off realignment of the divisions, with a division with seven teams across Canada and an updated COVID-19 protocol for players and teams likely due to cross-border travel restrictions.
With a start date in mid-January, players would have to start reporting after Christmas, followed by a shortened training camp and a preseason. The regular season is expected to last in early May at the latest, with the Stanley Cup final slated to end in late June or early July.
It would be similar to the 2013 season that started in mid-January and featured a 48-game schedule due to the NHL lockout. The teams also played a shortened schedule, pressing in 48 games over just under 100 days. In a normal season, the teams play 82 games over a period of approximately 185 days. The schedule includes breaks for Christmas, the All-Star Game, and a bye week.
Unsolved problems
The start of the 2020-21 season was considered flexible due to the uncertainties associated with the pandemic. The league initially considered starting the season in late November or early December before moving it to January 1.
Commissioner Gary Bettman described the likelihood of a date change this week as a “work in progress” during a panel discussion in the Sports Business Journal.
The start of the season discussions are ongoing and stand out from the NHL’s recent economic concerns.
Roughly five months after the collective agreement was renewed, the league has proposed amending the contract to offset the projected losses that affect the division of revenue between owners and players between 50 and 50.
Money talks
The CBA is currently asking players to defer 10 percent of their salary for the upcoming season and will determine how much money will be kept in an escrow account over the duration of the deal.
Last month, the league increased the ability for players to raise salary deferrals to 20 or 26 percent and raise the trust caps.
Although Bettman said the league is not trying to renegotiate the CBA, the players and several agents have accused the NHL of trying to forego what was agreed in July. Agent Allan Walsh posted a series of tweets this week saying the NHL should have foreseen the possibility of a pandemic by 2021 and the economic impact of lost ticket revenue.
“You have a deal,” wrote Walsh. “The bottom line is that some owners don’t like the deal and want better terms.”
