UPDATE: The National Hockey League Board of Governors and the NHLPA have both ratified the Return to Play and CBA extension.
NHL and NHLPA ratify four-year CBA extension and Return to Play Plan. #StanleyCup Qualifiers to begin August 1. https://t.co/IErZJ2hifT pic.twitter.com/f5HgirRFLB
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 10, 2020
Players have until Monday evening to opt out of the return of play without penalties.
Players will have until 5 p.m. ET on Monday to exercise their penalty-free right to opt out of the 2019-20 RTP. Must do so in writing to the NHLPA and NHL Central Registry.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 10, 2020
The schedule for the play-in round has also been officially announced with the Montreal Canadiens opening play on August 1.
Schedule to start #NHL Qualifying Round: pic.twitter.com/OxsKS8MKsW
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 10, 2020
The Draft Lottery has been officially announced for August 10 with the Draft set for October 9 and 10.
The original article remains below.
The National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players Association have tentatively agreed to a return to play plan that also extends the collective bargaining agreement four years, until the end of the 2025-26 season.
NHLPA, NHL Reach Tentative Agreement on Return to Play Plan, CBA Extension; Set Dates for Resumption of Play https://t.co/QKnu4L2jWV pic.twitter.com/6ClJWYhQwH
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 6, 2020
Training camps are set to start on July 13, which was originally set for July 10. Teams will travel to the hub cities – Edmonton and Toronto – on July 26 where they will play their exhibition games before the qualification round is set to begin August 1.
The CBA extension also includes participation in the 2022 Olympics. This tentative agreement was likely announced to make sure players have enough time to return to their home cities for training camp.
All players are required to undergo medical testing before they are allowed to take part in Phase Three, which is the start of training camps.
Additionally, players like Alexander Romanov are eligible to sign their entry-level contracts but will be ineligible to take part in the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
