The NHL is planning to open the 2021-22 season on Oct. 12, sources informed ESPN on Wednesday.
That is roughly every week later than a typical 82-game common season would begin, an comprehensible delay provided that the Stanley Cup playoffs are anticipated to roll by means of mid-July. Sources mentioned that coaching camps for NHL groups would open on Sept. 22.
The league knowledgeable its normal managers of the deliberate dates on a name Wednesday, in keeping with sources.
The dates are tentative and nonetheless have to be authorized by the NHL Gamers Affiliation earlier than they’re formalized. Any delays in finishing the 2020-21 season, which was restricted to 56 video games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, may push the beginning dates later within the 12 months.
Amongst different matters the league mentioned with GMs on Wednesday’s name, in keeping with sources:
• There stays little readability in regards to the NHL returning to the Winter Olympics for the primary time for the reason that 2014 Sochi Video games. As a part of its four-year extension of the collective bargaining settlement final 12 months, the NHL informed the NHLPA that gamers would take part within the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympic males’s ice hockey event. However that is pending a brand new settlement by the NHL, NHLPA, Worldwide Olympic Committee and Worldwide Ice Hockey Federation. Sources informed ESPN that the NHL wants finality on the matter earlier than it creates the 2021-22 schedule, as a result of there should be an Olympic break in February. Talks are anticipated to ramp up within the subsequent two months.
• Among the many NHL guidelines that have been mentioned with NHL vp of hockey operations Colin Campbell on Wednesday, the GMs have been briefed on the “puck over the glass” delay-of-game rule, after there was some concern in regards to the minor penalty it carries being too harsh. Some GMs cited the icing rule, which solely leads to a faceoff within the offending workforce’s zone with no probability for a line change. However there was no formal transfer for an adjustment of this rule or any rule-change proposals to come back out of the assembly.
Campbell additionally introduced examples of cross-checking infractions to the GMs, explaining that the NHL is searching for to crack down on some types of it that lead to obstruction of opposing gamers.
• There was a dialogue in regards to the 2021 NHL draft, which stays scheduled for July 23-24 and is anticipated to be carried out in the identical digital method as final season’s. Particularly, there was discuss how you can velocity up the picks on the second day of the draft, which dragged considerably final 12 months.
• There was curiously no dialogue about how the NHL will deal with its “ultimate 4” groups within the playoffs and the place they’ll play. The Canadian border closure has led to hypothesis that the winner of the North Division must play at a impartial web site within the U.S.