The NHL has cleared a significant hurdle towards returning. The NHLPA has voted to continue discussions on the NHL’s 24-team playoff format that would see the Montreal Canadiens play the Pittsburgh Penguins in a best-of-five play-in round.
The NHLPA Executive Board has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format, subject to reaching an overall agreement with the League on resuming the 2019-20 season: https://t.co/SIzQYyooEE pic.twitter.com/9TftmApiGJ
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) May 23, 2020
Things are far from complete. There are still things to figure out, including finalizing the draft lottery, the logistics of preparing the hub cities, and getting all the players back from around the world. While this vote is a major step, the NHL and the PA now have to agree on all the details surrounding the new format. Guidelines need to be set on a quarantine when re-entering North America and player training, and finalizing all the details is still at least several weeks away.
The NHLPA had a conference call on Thursday and the vote was finalized on Friday. All 31 teams had representative involved in the process. There should be additional details as to what happens with the draft and lottery with this new format coming in the future.
