Folks, hockey is coming back.
Officially.
The NHL Players’ Association on Friday agreed to not only the return to play agreement, but also an extension of the CBA. This is monumental news for the league both in the short and long term.
Here are some of the details (this will be updated as more news comes in).
More NHL: Watch Highlights Of Bruins Workout As David Krejci, Jake DeBrusk Among Many To Return
Return to play
— It’s been one of the worst kept secrets for some time, but the agreement being reached confirmed that the hub cities for the return will be Toronto and Edmonton. The Eastern Conference will be in Ontario, while the West will be in Alberta.
— Here’s an update with some key dates calendar.
Updated #NHL Critical Dates calendar: pic.twitter.com/VzKMeGHPEk
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 10, 2020
— According to McKenzie, players have until 5 p.m. ET on Monday to opt out of the restart, and there won’t be any penalty. Dallas Stars defenseman Roman Polak likely will opt out, but otherwise there haven’t been many rumors about guys passing.
CBA
— With the extension, the CBA now will run through the 2025-26 season. It previously was set to expire Sept. 15, 2022.
— Players will be allowed to represent their countries in the Olympics under the agreement, something they were unable to do in 2018. Due to the length of the extension, the agreement will allow players to participate in the 2022 and 2026 winter games.
— The salary cap will freeze until things return to normal, meaning it will hold at $81.5 million. That could create some issues for general managers who have walked a tightrope near the cap ceiling expecting that they’d get some relief by the figure getting bigger. Since that number is locked in, we might soon see some guys get moved that otherwise would’ve stayed put. Here’s how that will impact the Bruins.
— Players will defer 10 percent of their salaries next season.
