The NHL and NHL Players’ Association met Thursday to discuss the potential 24-team playoff format should the paused 2019-20 season resume.
Voting reportedly was “likely to be completed” by Friday.
While we still don’t have a clear answer if the NHLPA denied or approved the proposal, TSN’s Bob McKenzie on Friday reported it is “expected” to be approved. McKenzie noted Thursday’s call “got a little heated at times,” but “the exec committee vote by team is expected to result in NHLPA approval of the NHL plan.”
While last night’s NHLPA executive committee conference call got a little heated at times, and various individual players still have a wide variety of views on the NHL’s RTP format, the exec committee vote by team is expected to result in NHLPA approval of the NHL plan.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 22, 2020
We are not, however, expecting that format announcement to come with any timetable or critical date roll-out, not yet anyway.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 22, 2020
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun also added some details regarding the matter:
Keep in mind, even once the NHL has an answer from the NHLPA on the Return to Play format, the league has its own “process”to go through, but the expectation is that an official announcement would come within a couple of days
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 22, 2020
It’s now just a matter of time to see the NHLPA’s final decision and how the league responds to get things going in order to try to salvage the season and crown a Stanley Cup champion.
