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The second phase for the NHL to resume the 2019-20 season, which involves players skating in small groups, may not be mandatory, the TSN panel discussed on Thursday. However, there is no guarantee that players will skate together in small groups but it could happen during the third week of May if it does.
It will be mandatory for players to report to their teams for a mini training camp, which could begin on June 1.
The players are not interested in a resumption of the season unless they have easy access to their families as games could be played in four cities across North America. The NHL is unsure if they can accommodate that.
Pierre LeBrun said that the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championships in Edmonton after Christmas could be played in front of no fans. The committee will look at it over the next 2-3 weeks.
The CBA talks between NHL and NHLPA stopped when league paused on March 12 but those talks will resume soon. A source told LeBrun that “everything we’ve been talking about for the past month” has been about the CBA but on a “macro level.”
The league released a statement on Wednesday saying that they are still uncertain about how the season will return if it does.
By Harrison Brown
