Tenative agreement will allow the New York Rangers to take the ice again

A tentative agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA will allow the New York Rangers to hit the ice in the near future. According to multiple sources, the plan would be to start the season on Jan. 13, though the date is not finalized. This hope aligns with the NHL’s prior plan, which included the mid-January start date. Under the new agreement, training camps will start on Dec. 31 for non-playoff teams and Jan. 3 for playoff teams. The NHL plans on having a 56 game schedule. Sportsnet of Canada was the first to report on the agreement.

The NHLPA executive board gave the agreement a green light to proceed on Friday night, but players and owners must hold formal votes and Canadian health officials give their approval before it becomes reality.

It’s unclear whether teams would play in their home arenas or in “hub” cities, though an all-divisional schedule is expected.

The tentative agreement calls for no exhibition games to be played, meaning the NHL will go directly from the off-season and training camps into regular-season games.

The biggest stumbling block at the current time is how the league’s division will look for this season.

The NHL is hoping to go with a proposed division realignment that includes a seven-team Canadian division which will require approval from local health officials. If those approvals are given in Canada, the NHL’s realignment would look like this:

Boston-Buffalo-New Jersey-NY Islanders-NY Rangers-Philadelphia-Pittsburgh-Washington

Carolina-Chicago-Columbus-Detroit-Florida-Dallas-Nashville-Tampa Bay

Anaheim-Arizona-Colorado-Minnesota-Los Angeles-Las Vegas-San Jose-St. Louis

Ottawa-Montreal-Toronto-Winnipeg-Edmonton-Calgary-Vancouver

If games cannot be played in Canada, the NHL has considered a plan that would see Canada’s teams play their seasons in the United States.

The agreement, confirmed by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, is pending a vote by the NHL Board of Governors and the NHLPA.

The league’s Board of Governors could vote on the plan as soon as this weekend. Approval from health officials in the five Canadian provinces that have teams is still needed before the NHL can go ahead with the season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mentioned in this article:

More about: