Sam Carchidi: One player on ESPN on the NHL season resuming: “50-50 on wanting to come back to play, because of the safety precautions, travel and logistics. Especially now with these cases rising, it seems more guys with families are skeptical.”
Conor Ryan: Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said to date there haven’t been any Bruins players that have any reservations about Phase 3 or 4.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: The NHL and NHLPA continue to work on the CBA and return to play protocols.
On the CBA front they could be working to a four-year extension. The salary cap for the next two years could be $81.5 million and possibly going up to $82.5 in 2022-23. Escrow for next season could be 20 percent, between 14 and 18 percent in 2021-22 and under 10 percent in 2022-23.
It’s possible that the Phase 3 start date of July 10th could be moved back three to five days.
There has been some talk about the seven teams who didn’t make the playoffs, playing some games as they may not want their players sitting around for so long.
Bob McKenzie: (Thread on Hub Cities) A formal announcement could come today or tomorrow.
Las Vegas and Toronto appear to be the frontrunners at this time.
Positive tests continue to rise in Vegas. The NHL and NHLPA continue to do their due diligence on potential sites. believes that if Vegas is chosen to a be hub city it’s because of their ability to lockdown/protect the bubble.
There is work to be done regarding protocol and items involving Phase 3, Phase 4 and the CBA but they are getting closer.
To remain on track for the Return to Play schedule, players will need to vote this week.
There is a chance that the July 10th Phase 3 start date could be pushed back by a couple of days. July 13th is one date that has come up. Bumping back the Phase 3 date a few days doesn’t mean they’ll need to move back the Phase 4 date.
Edmonton, Chicago, and Los Angeles are still not out of the Hub City mix.