2020-21 NHL season length to be of 56 to 72 games!

On Tuesday afternoon, we finally get to know more about what, but especially, when the 2020-21 will look like and get underway when NHL Deputy commissioner Bill Daly sent out a memo to all teams across the National Hockey Leagueto let them know what was next in order to put a plan together for the start of the 2020-21 season. He mentioned that the league’s objective remains to start the campaign on January 1st, with the hopes of wrapping things up by April in order to get back to a normal schedule in 2021-22. 

Later on, insider Elliotte Friedman took the time to share all of the additional details on what else is being heard about the upcoming season and what it might look like. Here is all that he reports in his Sportsnet’s article: 

* At this point, the NHL hopes to have the Stanley Cup awarded no later than July 15.
* Different sources have heard different potential lengths for the 2020-21 season. Some have heard as few as 56 games, others as many as 72. (The later we start, those numbers would drop.) It is possible the league decreases the number of games to keep a couple of “open weeks” at the end of the regular season in case cancellations create a need to balance the schedule. If those prove to be unnecessary, the playoffs would be moved up.
* The discussion around hubs is…interesting. Tuesday, during a virtual panel discussion during the Paley International Council Summit, commissioner Gary Bettman indicated the possibilities include teams playing in their own arenas, in hubs, or in a hybrid system. According to multiple sources, there is a growing push for teams to play in their own buildings, with or without fans. One reason, for example, is naming rights on these arenas. With fewer events, those sponsorship deals could be affected.
* As far as I can tell, the largest remaining unsettled issue involves player salaries. To them, this issue is settled. They signed a CBA extension last summer agreeing to 72 per cent of their gross pay for the upcoming season. They feel this number is set whether they play one game or 70-something games. However, owners feel those salaries should be prorated, especially if there’s no clear path to attendance — creating losses higher than anything 20 per cent escrow would withstand.

These are a lot of new details on what might be coming next season and it’s good to know that we will find out more concrete info by Thursday, when there’s a scheduled Board of Governors meeting.