Longer training camps for the 7 non-playoff teams!

There is some good news for the seven non-playoff teams that didn’t get to travel to the bubbles and fight for a spot in the postseason. According to Pierre LeBrun, the seven teams excluded from the NHL’s return-to-play postseason over the summer will get to hit the ice sooner and be allowed to hold longer training camps. 

The NHL and NHLPA have tentatively agreed to allow the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks to get extra training time before regular training camps resume for all teams, whenever that will be. 

Those teams’ general managers requested the extra training camp time back in August and have reportedly been informed they will get to have players on the ice sooner and longer. Their proposal has reportedly requested a minimum of two additional weeks of camp.

“The seven teams that did not participate in the Return to Play this past summer? They’re going to get some good news. They’ve asked for some extra training camp time and I’m told that the NHL and NHLPA have tentatively agreed that those teams could have extra training camp time ahead of the normal training camps, whenever that is next season.”

After the league agreed on a 24-team format to finish the campaign, it eliminated the bottom-seven clubs, who are now hoping they won’t be too rusted to compete in 2020-21. 

With the NHL hoping to begin the 2020-21 season on Jan. 1, it could be nearly a full year between games for the teams who did not take part in the postseason in Toronto or Edmonton. 

We still don’t know when the 2020-21 campaign will kick off and so we can understand how these seven teams are hoping for more time on the ice.