Phase 2 not mandatory for players
TSN: Frank Seravalli wrote that the NHL could be looking at starting ‘Phase 2’ which would allow players to use team facilities for small workouts in mid-to-late May.
Darren Dreger adds that it is a goal but it is not mandatory that they go. It would be mandatory that players are in their team cities for the training camp, which could be around the start of June.
“There’s certainly no guarantee of that and that’s all health-related. It’s important to note though. There will be no agreement on an NHL resumption unless players have an allowance to visit with their families. How does that happen? I mean, could families come into a safe zone in an NHL city? Could an NHL player be released to go visit his family for five days up to a week and then test and then be reintroduced back to the NHL club? All of these things are in the discussion stage.”
CBA on hold but sides want to restart at some point
TSN: The NHL and NHLPA had obviously halted CBA talks when the pandemic started, but they sides have indicated to each other that they’d like to restart talks at some point according to Pierre LeBrun.
“Now, as someone involved told me, everything we’ve been talking about the last month has to do with the CBA so in some ways it’s not like they’ve stopped talking about the CBA. But, on a more macro level, the long-term viability of the system of the league, of what the players and owners need, that has been shelved and that’s going to have to return here soon enough. It’s the most important conversation to be had for players and owners in terms of the financial impact of this pandemic on their livelihoods. They need a long-term CBA, there’s no other choice.”
Yzerman not liking the idea of an early draft in June
TSN: Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was talking with Fox Sports Detroit on Facebook live yesterday about the possibility of the NHL holding the 2020 NHL draft in early June before the season has ended.
“My thought is: Why would you do that? Why would you need to do that?” Yzerman said. “There’s a lot of things that are affected, obviously. The draft position hasn’t been established; we don’t know who’s in the playoffs, who’s out of the playoffs, in some cases.
“So there’s a lot of questions, and ultimately if it needs to be done prior to, we’ll figure it out. But at this time, my own opinion is, I haven’t heard a good reason why we should do it prior to the end of the season if we do conclude the season over the course of the summer.”