The National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced on Thursday that training camps (Phase 3 of the Return to Play Plan) for the 24 teams involved into the Stanley Cup Playoffs will open Friday, July 10 (which just happens to be my birthday). Provisos are that medical and safety conditions are met and both sides reach an agreement on resuming play. Announcing the July 10 start date for training camps now, it affords the players, especially those still in Europe, enough time to make travel plans for a return to their NHL city and potential completion of quarantine period, depending on when a player returns to the US or Canada.
No word has yet to be provided on when Phase 4 will start, but training camp. which will include two exhibition games at the hub cities, is expected to run three weeks. If that is the timeframe, games could start July 31 or beginning of August, meaning the Cup would be awarded around the end of the first week of October. Then the offseason would begin, including the draft, and countdown to start of the 2020-21 season.
INSIDER TRADING: #TSNHockey Insiders discuss...
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) June 11, 2020
- Importance of announcing July 10 training camp date
- Canadian 🇨🇦 cities still in the hub site mix
- 4-5 year term for CBA extension?
- latest on #NJDevils coaching search
WATCH ðŸŒ: https://t.co/unZcdaC8cu pic.twitter.com/eKvAQbdBxa
NHL, NHLPA agree on opening date for formal training camps. https://t.co/35lF9nEob0 pic.twitter.com/l6W4VLXVYv
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 11, 2020
With a July 10 start date for camps, it gives teams and players sufficient time to secure travel and facilities to execute proper preparation for Phase 4.
Upon completion of camps in individual cities, team would go to hub cities, continue to practice, and play 2 exhibition games each. Once that concludes, Phase 4 will commence and games will officially begin. More in link below. 2/2 https://t.co/ojjqNXDGeB
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 11, 2020
The Hub cities are yet to be determined. The news prior to today seemed to indicate that the Canadian cities might not be in the mix. But as seen from the below, a workaround solution, even though the borders are still slated to be closed, partially because the players are being considered as "essential," looks to be likely. Vancouver and Edmonton had been prominently mentioned, but as seen from Pagnotta, Toronto might be a consideration, especially because of their experience hosting the Wold Cup and also would be a East Coast city. In addition, selecting a location where a full-service option, including leisure, exists is a factor. The NBA is using Orlando, since Disney is an all encompassing location, solving multiple needs.
As has been reported, an update on quarantine rules is expected to be announced tomorrow in Canada. Any testing protocols like this might not affect hub city contenders like Edmonton, since daily testing for NHL players is expected in Phase 4.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) June 11, 2020
Looks like a solution to the 14 day quarantine is on the way from the Fed Govt. that should allow all 3 Canadian markets to remain viable options as hub cities, and for Cdn teams to hold their training camps north of the border. Details to come in the next few days.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) June 11, 2020
NHL remains in constant touch with Canadian government on quarantine issues and border closure. Source suggests “Border closures are not an issue…, which leads you to believe there will be a resolution before camps open.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) June 11, 2020
A source close to the situation disclosed today that the NHL is “a ways away… from selecting hub cities and an additional well-placed source conveyed the list of potential hub cities is being paired down.Ultimately, the Canadian government controls the destiny of Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver as hub cities. It is believed government officials are considering easing or modifying some quarantine restrictions to allow teams to still train together by expanding their quarantine bubble – currently those traveling into Canada need to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Having one hub city in Canada and another in the United States remains the NHL’s preference (key word), as is having one in the east and one in the west. With Vegas still considered a hub city frontrunner – the NHL views T-Mobile Arena as having the best ice in the league, regardless of the time of year – if Canada eases its restrictions, Toronto could be the choice in the east.
The NHL is taking its time here, and for good reason. Multiple factors come into play, and any spike in COVID-19 cases in any market that pops up this month could affect the League’s decision. The NHL also wants to make sure its players and staff are well occupied away from the ice with access to entertainment options like movies and golf, restaurants, and leisure activities, and each contending market continues to present and discuss its options.
Pierre LeBrun also gave an update on the CBA talks and the players deferral of their last paychecks. Last year, if you asked me, I would have said that the CBA talks had the potential to be contentious. With the pandemic and cooperation that has existed between the two sides to reach an accord, we just might get labor peace for several more seasons. Areas still need to be worked on and decided, but discussions are most certainly trending positive, though escrow, Hockey related revenue and contract construction figure to be three of the stickiest parts of the negotiation.
There are some involved who hope, that if all goes well, a memorandum of understanding could be in place by the time training camps open in July. That might be a little aggressive but it’s encouraging that the negotiations continue.The current CBA runs through the 2021-22 season. Sources indicate both sides are talking about either a four- of five-year extension which would be tacked on to the current pact. An agreement on either of those extensions would mean the CBA wouldn’t expire until the 2025-26 season or the 2026-27 season.
I’ve been told that whatever rule amendments to escrow or contracts or the salary cap are agreed to as part of the new CBA would be applied right away, which makes sense considering the need for transition rules due to the pandemic.
Again, it’s extremely important for both the players and owners to get financial clarity and a better understanding of what the NHL landscape will look like over the next few years as the business attempts to find a path through difficult times.
For the players, a CBA extension could mean limiting the escrow pain in the short term. For the owners, a CBA extension could mean more favourable ways to construct player contracts (perhaps flatten out contracts and eliminate front- or back-loaded deals? It’s just one of many ideas.)
A source on Thursday said that the decision on the final paycheque, worth about $120 million in total to the system, has been further deferred. Essentially, I think the players want to see where CBA talks go before making a call on it, which is a sound decision. My guess is the players won’t collect that paycheque in order to start paying off what’s owed to the system, but the NHLPA also has assurances from the NHL that if they do ultimately decide to cash in that final paycheque, they still can.
Where Return to Play stands plus CBA talks in my Thursday update piece:https://t.co/7t2FJqpqR6
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 11, 2020