The majority of hockey enthusiasts throughout the World were hoping for the season to reconvene at some point. Talks throughout the league continued to ensue weekly, with the NHLPA and NHL working together, hand-in-hand to see that this happens. The NHLPA BOG voted yes to a 24 team playoff format, that consists of the top 4 teams in each conference to play a best of five series against each other for seeding purposes, followed by the 8 extra teams (Making 24 teams total) would also play a best of five series with the winners of course advancing to a 16 team play-in playoffs.
To make matters clear folks hockey is almost back, with the two hub cities being Edmonton and Toronto for this upcoming playoffs. It only makes sense to have two Canadian Hub cities, as the United States continues to see surging Covid-19 cases. The Health and Safety of all parties involved are the most important thing here. Here are some of the highlights from the memorandum of understanding for the Phase 3/4 Rules and Protocols, and the new four-year extension of the CBA:
Cap
Most people would like to know what the new cap will look like. Well, I’m happy to say that AMNESTY Buyouts (Compliance buyouts) weren’t part of the negotiation process, fortunately Flyers fans (The Flyers are in a good spot farm wise). The Cap will remain at $81.5 million next season and most likely for the 2021-22 season, until the league generates $4.8 billion of revenue. The cap for the 2022-23 season will be based off the 2020-21 revenue. Somewhere between 14-18 per cent in 2021-22, depending on 2020-21 revenue. Then we go 10 per cent in 2022-23, with a maximum of six per cent over the remaining term (if there is an extra year, the escrow cap will be at nine per cent). There will be a 10 per cent salary deferral next season. It will be repaid during the final three years of this CBA.
Maximum entry-level contract salaries are going up from current $925,000 for the 2020-21 season: 2022-23: $950,000 2023-24: $950,000 2024-25: $975,000 2025-26: $975,000 2026-27: $1 million
Lastly, changes to minimum salaries: 2020-21: $700,000 2021-22: $750,000 2022-23: $750,000 2023-24: $775,000 2024-25: $775,000 2025-26: $775,000
Olympic Partipation
Finally, NHL players will be able to compete for their home countries once again for the Winter Olympics in 2022 and 2026. This was highly debated in 2018 when many hockey players wanted to play for their home countries in the Olympics. Most notably Alexander Ovechkin and Jakub Voracek were two vocal players about such. This could have been thrown into the negotiation process, as the players had more leverage with this new contract. Of course, this is with successful negotiations with the IOC and IIHF.
Changes/Modifications
No Move-No Trade Clauses now travel with a player with a player if they agree to the trade (Lifting the Clause), to include if one hasn’t started yet.
One key change under the new NHL CBA is the interview period for free agents will be no longer. Every team will due battle equally, back to the old way.
“Players aged 35 and over can sign multi-year deals that are flat or ascending and there will be no cap hit if they retire before the deal is up (previously, the cap hit stayed no matter what).”– Elliotte Friedman
“Year-by-year variability: six-year contracts that are front-loaded and worth at least 7.5 per cent of the cap cannot exceed 35 per cent between the highest and lowest salary amounts. Rules for other contracts remain the same (I’ve heard players and teams will consider back-loading new contracts because escrow is capped at a lower number and cash flow should improve for clubs).”– Elliotte Friedman
Phase 3/Phase 4 Rules and Protocols (40 pages)
Any player has the right to not play without penalty. Everyone that agrees to play will be tested before they travel to the hub city. Testing will take place on a daily basis from then on, as outlined by Bill Daly in a Zoom Call in early May. Each team will have a set time each day depending on their schedule.
A limit of 30 skaters in Phase 3, with an unlimited number of goalies. **Only** players eligible to play 2019-20 resumption are permitted to skate in Phase 3. Any player may opt out of Phase 3/4, and it must be submitted in writing by July 7 at 5pm. Each of the 24 clubs shall submit their participants by July 9.
Testing takes up a lot of the document. All players and club personnel shall be tested 48 hours prior to any person returning to club training facilities, and on an every other day basis with all results being available with 24 hours.
“Players who, after consultation with Club doctor who conducted PPME, and the Club’s infectious disease expert, are determined to be at substantial risk of developing a serious illness as a result of exposure to the novel coronavirus…shall be deemed to be unfit to play, and shall not be permitted to participate in either Phase 3 or Phase 4. A player may initiate a second opinion concerning his fitness to play status pursuant to Paragraph 5 of the Standard Player Contract.”
A player/personnel who receives an asymptomatic confirmed positive case will be allowed to rejoin after two consecutive negative tests over a 48-hour period, or after 10 days of passage in isolation.
A player/personnel who receives a symptomatic confirmed positive case will also be able to rejoin after symptoms have subsided (no fever, no respiratory symptoms) for a minimum of 72 hours, provided the person was in self-isolation for a minimum of 10 days since the onset of symptoms.
Face coverings of course will be mandatory at all times outside of their hotel rooms, and practice social distancing. There will also be restrictions on the number of people allowed in the lobby and on elevators. Also, there will be one room per player.
NHL players who are authorized to leave the bubble can return. However, they will be forced to quarantine on return. In addition, players should have four negative tests over a four day period, or longer depending on location or circumstances outside.
Teams are permitted to bring 31 players to the hub city, with a total of 52 personnel. The list of each traveling player must be submitted to the NHL by July 13, the day training camps are scheduled to open.
Each team will have at least one physician, one security representative, one club Phase 4 compliance officer, and one content creator / social media member included in the traveling party.
Critical Dates/Transitions For The 2020 Playoffs:
Phase 3 (Training Camp) will open on July 13, with a transitional date to be moved to the hub cities by July 26. In addition, the exhibition games are from July 28-30, with the qualifying round scheduled to begin on August 1st. Again the two hub cities are Edmonton and Toronto, and the Flyers will begin their quest for the Stanley Cup in Toronto. Flyers however will start Play against the Boston Bruins on August 2nd:
Stanley Cup Final- Sept 22-Oct 4
Critical dates for the NHL For The 2020-21 Season:
Draft- Oct 9-10
Nov 17– Training camp opens
Dec 1- 2020-21 season starts
Current NHL contracts are set to expire on October 31, 2020. This means that free agency will begin November 1, 2020. It’s not an ideal month for free agency to begin, but that’s the cards the NHL were dealt to finish the season.
The NHL and NHLPA got it right. The 24 NHL team format will include a best of 5 series for Qualifying rounds (Only), and the Round Robin (Top 4 teams in the Conferences) will be a one game playoff. All four rounds of the Playoffs (Play-In) will be best of 7’s, with reseeding after each round, highest seed vs lowest seed in each conference. I just want to add that the Flyers can move up from the 4th seed to the first seed in the Eastern Conference.
What this means for the Flyers
The greatest sport on Earth is reconvening, and the Flyers could regain the top seed in the Eastern Conference if they win the round robin tournament. Their Stanley Cup run will begin in Toronto:
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
|---|---|
| Round Robin: Flyers, Bos, TB, Was | RR: STL., Col, VGK, Dal |
| 5-Pit vs. 12-Mont. | 5-Edm vs. 12-Chi. |
| 6-Car. vs. 11-NYR | 6-Nash vs. 11-Ari |
| 7-NYI vs. 10-Fla. | 7-Van. vs. 10-Min. |
| 8-Tor. vs. 9-CBJ | 8-Cgy vs. 9-Wpg |
Most Flyers fans say drop the puck now, while others are still worried about the overall health of the athletes, trainers, media personnel, broadcasters, and other personnel, as well. I can say that testing will increase in Phase 3 (From twice a week in Phase 2), and in Phase 4 the players and staff alike will be tested before they leave the hotels daily.
So it’s official. The Flyers who are now cup contenders will start their playoff run at hotel X in Toronto. Hockey is back folks, Letttttts gooooo Flyers, “We want the cup, We want the Cup.” Let’s go Flyers duh-duh-da-da-duh