Alex Killorn #17 and Anthony Cirelli #71 of the Tampa Bay Lightning trips up John Klingberg #3 of the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada, September 26, 2020. /CFP
The NHL and the NHL Players' Association reached a tentative deal on Friday on a 56-game schedule for the 2021 regular season, which will begin on January 13, confirmed deputy commissioner Bill Daly.
The agreement still needs approval from both sides' executive board and Canadian health authorities. According to ESPN, the league already told the seven Canadian teams that they may have to play the 2021 season in the U.S.
The vote on the agreement may happen as soon as this weekend from the league's board of governors' side. The seven Canadian teams come from five provinces, and they still need health officials' approval for the 2021 season to take place.
Canadian teams taking part in the 2021 season. Top L-R: Logos of Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. Bottom L-R: Logos of Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames. /CFP
The seven teams that did not attend the playoffs last season will hold their training camps on December 31. The other 24 teams will open their camps on January 3. The schedule may be all-divisional, but it remains unclear whether the games will happen at the teams' arenas or in certain "hub" cities.
Exhibition games are unlikely to happen in the lead up of the news season.
Last season, the NHL followed the NBA's model to concentrate the postseason competitions in two bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton. In the end, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals to win the Commissioner's Cup.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. /CFP
Owners and players recently agreed to stick to the long-term extension of the collective bargaining agreement they had reached before last season, despite the pandemic. Players will defer 10 percent of their salaries and the salary cap will remain flat at $81.5 million.
By contrast, Canadian health authorities are not compromising. "The resumption of sports events in Canada must be undertaken in adherence to Canada's measures to mitigate the importation and spread of COVID-19. NHL teams and other professional sports must operate within the rules of their provincial jurisdictions for sports or sporting events," said the Public Health Agency of Canada in a statement on Thursday.
Last season, the MLB's Toronto Blue Jays moved their home to Buffalo, New York. The NBA's Toronto Raptors are playing at Tampa, Florida in the 2020-21 season. Like them, the seven Canadian NHL teams may have to relocate to the U.S. because of government prohibitions.