NHL, NHLPA ratify Return To Play plan, CBA extension; dates released for first 10 days of revamped playoff tournament

One hundred and twenty days after the NHL closed up shop in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears as though hockey is finally back on the horizon.

The NHL and NHLPA officially ratified both a “Return to Play” plan to close out the 2019-20 season and a four-year extension to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (through 2025-26) on Friday night — guaranteeing labor peace through the 2025-26 season. 

While many of the details surrounding both the league’s return for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the fiscal standing of the league in the coming years have been reported on for most of the last week or so — Friday’s news officially put the gears in motion for a revamped playoff tournament this summer and fall, with teams expected to begin training camp on Monday at their respective training facilities. 

“Today, the NHL and the NHLPA announced a significant agreement that addresses the uncertainty everyone is dealing with, the framework for the completion of the 2019-20 season and the foundation for the continued long-term growth of our League,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a league statement. "I thank NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr and Special Assistant to the Executive Director Mathieu Schneider, the more than 700 NHL Players – particularly those who worked on our Return to Play Committee – and the NHL’s Board of Governors for coming together under extraordinary circumstances for the good of our game. 

"While we have all worked very hard to try to address the risks of COVID-19, we know that health and safety are and will continue to be our priorities. We know that all of our fans are excited about our return to the ice next month and that has been our goal since we paused our season on March 12.” 

Once Phase 4 (return to play) is officially enacted,



the 12 participating Eastern Conference teams will play in Toronto, while the 12 participating Western Conference teams will compete in Edmonton. The Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final will take place in Edmonton.

Each team will be permitted to bring a maximum of 52 individuals into the Secure Zones in the hub cities, including a maximum of 31 players. 

Expect a pretty rapid ramp-up of action starting on Monday, with teams expected to head out to their hub cities on July 26 — less than two weeks after camp officially gets underway. The play-in rounds featuring 16 total clubs will begin on August 1st, while the round-robin tournament featuring the top-four seeds in both the Eastern and Western Conference will begin on August 2nd.



Here’s the schedule for the Bruins over the first 10 days of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers — with three games slated against the Flyers, Lightning and Capitals. 

Bruins vs. Flyers - August 2nd
Bruins vs. Lightning - August 5th
Bruins vs. Capitals - August 8th 

Set your DVRs once playoff hockey resumes, as start times for games will be 12 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. for Toronto and 2 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. for Edmonton (all Eastern Time).

Here’s a look at the full schedule for the first 10 games of qualifiers and round-robin play.



Phase 2 of the NHL Draft Lottery will take place between the Stanley Cup Qualifiers and the start of the First Round on Aug. 10 — with one of the eight teams bounced in the play-in round looking to secure the first overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft (likely Alexis Lafrenière). 

The tentative last possible date for the 2020 NHL Draft will be October 4th, while the 2020 NHL Draft is scheduled to get underway on October 9-10. 

Here are a few additional highlights from the league’s memo concerning both the Return To Play plan and the CBA extension. 

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All of the details with regards to the travel party for each team (52 total, including 31 players) and other safety protocols in regards to Phase 4 (as noted here) have all been approved. Along with players, coaches, team and league personnel, Arena workers, ice crew, security staff, hotel bartenders, food service staff, arena food and beverage staff, housekeeping services, hotel kitchen staff, and transportation staff will also be tested daily for COVID-19.

Players will be able to opt out of the NHL’s Return to Play plan without penalty. However, players have until three days after the MoU is ratified to inform their team that they will not participate. So, players pretty much have until Monday, July 13th — the start of camp — to let their team know if they’re in or out. Speaking last week, Bruce Cassidy doesn’t believe that any Bruin will opt out of a chance at the Cup. 

The NHL will have zero tolerance when it comes to a player potentially leaving the Secure Zone — with the NHL stressing that any team in violation of these safety protocols will be subject to “significant penalties, potentially including fines and/or loss of draft picks.”

One concession made by the NHL and Board of Governors in this new CBA? NHL players will be allowed to participate in both the 2022 Winter Olympics (Beijing) and the 2026 Winter Olympics (Milan).

As expected, the upper limit of the salary cap will remain flat at $81.5 million for the 2020-21 season – if not longer. A lot of Cup contenders are going to feel a cap crunch in the near future. 

From our NHL Notebook last weekend: 

Considering that players’ salaries do not carry through to the postseason, there is usually a pool of money set aside each year that is eventually doled out via bonuses for teams in the playoffs. While each player on a team receives the same bonus, that bonus increases the further said team makes it through the playoffs. The playoff pool for this postseason is going to be doubled from $16 million to $32 million — further incentivizing players to return to game action. A player on a team bounced from the play-in round will earn $20,000, while the share for a player on the eventual Stanley Cup championship club will earn $240,000 for their efforts.

The full memo on the CBA extension can be found here.