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NHL Announces Multiple Events For 2021-22

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During NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s state of the league address today, ahead of game one of the Stanley Cup Finals, the league officially announced several events for the 2021-22 season.

First is the 2022 Winter Classic, which will feature the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild at Target Field, Minneapolis. The event will be held on January 1, 2022, a year after it was originally scheduled. The Wild were set to hold the 2021 Winter Classic, but it was eventually canceled due to the COVID restrictions present all season long. This is the second outdoor game for both organizations.

The 2022 Stadium Series is headed to Nashville, where the Predators will welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nissan Stadium. This will be the second outdoor game for the Predators, who took part in the 2020 Winter Classic against the Dallas Stars. For the Lightning, this will be the first outdoor game in the franchise history. The Carolina Hurricanes, who were supposed to hold the Stadium Series game in 2021, will not be involved next season but Bettman confirmed that the league will schedule an event in Raleigh at some point in the near future.

Perhaps most notable however is the 2022 All-Star Weekend, which is officially scheduled to take place in Las Vegas next year. The Vegas Golden Knights will host the league’s best players, though the actual dates have not been able to be announced yet. That’s because the league’s schedule isn’t confirmed yet and could still include an Olympic break, though deputy commissioner Bill Daly did explain today that “time is running short” on those negotiations. Bettman explained that if at all possible, they want to fulfill their promise to the players that they would go, but that there are serious concerns at this point over whether this is even “the most ideal Olympics to go to.”

Though not included in the official announcement, the 2022 NHL Entry Draft is expected to be held in Montreal, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The 2020 draft was originally scheduled to be held in Montreal but was eventually moved to a virtual setting. At the time, the league suggested that they would go back to the city as soon as possible, which now seems like it will be in 2022.

Canada Approves Border Exemption For NHL Playoff Teams

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The Canadian government and the NHL didn’t let the weekend stop them from continuing work on a resolution to allow NHL teams to bypass current border restrictions. With the North Division finals potentially ending as early as Monday night, an agreement has been made to allow the victor to travel for road games to the United States and for American teams to cross into Canada. CBC News was the first to report that a federal travel exemption has been enacted for the final two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As one might have expected, the exception to Canada’ strict quarantine policies comes with its own set of public health safeguards. All team members crossing into Canada, Canadian and American teams alike, will be subject to pre- and post-arrival COVID testing. Team must use private air travel and will be restricted to a “bubble” while in Canada that includes the team hotel and arena. Players are asked to limit all interaction with the general public during this time and to follow all local health guidelines.

The way that the NHL’s postseason has shaken out in terms of regular season standings and playoff scheduling, the next round is already somewhat set. The North Division winner (Montreal is up 2-0 on Winnipeg) will travel to the West Division winner (Colorado is up 2-1 on Vegas) to open up the next round. As a result, these rules that the two sides have worked so hard to hammer out may only apply to just one trip. The West Division winner, should they win the series in four or five games, would only need to travel into Canada once. However, anything beyond that, including a North Division team advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, could mean several trips.

This resolution is a far superior result than the alternative for the Canadian teams, who otherwise would have had to play at adopted American location. Instead, they will be able to have home games with a limited home crowd in the next round. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly expressed his gratitude that an agreement on an exemption could be reached, keeping all teams on an even playing field and protecting the integrity of the postseason.

Still No Decision On Border Exception For NHL Postseason

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The Montreal Canadiens head into Game Two of the North Division Finals on Friday with a chance to go up 2-0 in the series on the Winnipeg Jets. In fact, the series could be over as early as early as Monday if the Habs continue to win. There might be just one business day left between now and Montreal advancing to the NHL’s postseason final four. Yet, they still have no idea whether or not they will be playing any home games beyond that point.

Reporting for Sportsnet late last night, David Morassutti relays word from Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly that the league and the Canadian government still do not have any agreement on an exception to current border policies. With Canada behind the United States in Coronavirus vaccinations, the country and each of the provinces still have strict border restrictions and tight health regulations. Those are not going away any time soon, so if the NHL wants Montreal or Winnipeg to be able to host home games in the next round or two, they need to negotiate an exception to the rules. Daly notes that conversations with Canadian officials are ongoing and “increasing in frequency” and there is an understanding that the NHL needs a decision as soon as possible. However, Canada is already late on a ruling; the NHL had previously announced that they hoped to have the border exception hammered out by the end of the first round.

Morassutti reports that what is being discussed is a “national interest exemption” that would allow both NHL and MLB teams – with the Toronto Blue Jays currently calling the U.S. home – to cross the border without facing quarantine time. However, a new set of policies would need to be put in place to safeguard against COVID transmission from these visitors and public health officials would need to approve. Daly feels confident that a solution can be reached soon, but phrases like “rigorous due diligence” from the Canadian side cast some doubt on just how quickly this can be done. With the next round arriving no later than June 13, will “soon” be soon enough for the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

If no deal is reached, meaning American clubs cannot cross the border and the Canadian champ cannot return once they cross into the U.S. either, the alternative would be that the North Division winner would have to adopt a home south of the border for their remaining games. In all likelihood, these plans have already been made in the event that a border exception is not reached in time. However, there has been no indication by the NHL of what this Plan B might be. The closest American cities to Montreal that could host NHL postseason play include Portland, ME, Manchester, NH, and Rochester or Syracuse, NY, all current or former AHL homes. Boston is the closest NHL city, but seems unlikely due to the Bruins’ potential inclusion in the next round. Buffalo would likely be the next-best choice. As for Winnipeg, options are few and far between. The club is located very close to Grand Forks, ND, home of the University of North Dakota and a location that was considered as hub city for the 2020 postseason. However, it likely isn’t an ideal spot for the NHL. Minneapolis is the only NHL city even remotely close for the Jets, though Seattle has also been mentioned as possibility.

There is still a lot of unknowns about this situation and time is running out. Hopefully the Canadian government can work with the NHL to come to a quick solution on an amended border policy. If not, the North Division champ will face the disadvantage of playing in a strange city as their reward for advancing on in the postseason.

Schedule Notes: North Division, Future, ECHL

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The NHL has released the start times for the final three games of the North Division schedule, set to be played between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks. Both teams are out of the playoff race and will now finish the year with a pair of afternoon tilts. The game on May 19 is especially noteworthy, as its 1:30pm MT start leaves the possibility for the North to start its playoffs that evening. Starting the playoffs the same day the regular season concludes is something deputy commissioner Bill Daly hinted at yesterday as the league tries to get through the 2020-21 season without any further delays.

The other three divisions will already be well into their first-round playoff matchups, with things kicking off on Saturday with the Washington Capitals hosting the Boston Bruins. Those two teams will meet tonight as well, though the Bruins aren’t going to risk any injuries; Boston will rest Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall, David Krejci, Craig Smith, Sean Kuraly, Charlie Coyle, Charlie McAvoy, Ondrej Kase, Matt Grzelcyk, Mike Reilly, Brandon Carlo, Jeremy Lauzon, Kevan Miller, and Tuukka Rask this evening.

  • As for the future, the league is expected to go back to the schedule matrix and playoff format that was used during the 2018-19 season, according to Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com, with the exception of course of the Seattle Kraken being added to the Pacific Division and the Arizona Coyotes moving to the Central. Past the 2021-22 season though things may change, as Daly explained they are canvassing clubs to find out what it will look like down the line. The deputy commissioner suggested they may be able to release information on the 2022-23 scheduling format before the 2021-22 season starts.
  • There are other leagues preparing for a more regular 2021-22 campaign as well, including the ECHL which released its schedule today. The minor league will kick things off on October 21 and play 972 games through April 17, 2022. The ECHL will have 27 teams for next season, including new ones from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and Coralville, Iowa.

Snapshots: Holloway, Corrado, Playoffs

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The Edmonton Oilers won’t have Dylan Holloway in the lineup this season as his entry-level contract starts next year, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get a close look at him in the meantime. The young forward has signed an amateur tryout with the Bakersfield Condors and will finish the season in the AHL.

Holloway is coming back after suffering a thumb injury at the end of his college season and will be getting his first taste of professional hockey. Still just 19, he recorded 11 goals and 35 points at the University of Wisconsin, anchoring the second line behind the Cole Caufield-driven top unit.

  • Frank Corrado won’t be returning to the NHL anytime soon, as the veteran defenseman signed a contract with Dinamo Riga in the KHL. He spent this season with MODO in the Swedish second league, recording 17 points in 34 games. The Vancouver Canucks draft pick played 76 games in the NHL and several seasons in the minor leagues before taking his game overseas.
  • The Stanley Cup Playoffs could start as soon as Saturday, according to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. Daly spoke with Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com, explaining that though the North Division doesn’t actually finish their regular season schedule until May 19, the other three divisions could start as early as May 15. In fact, the North could actually start their playoff schedule just hours after the regular season concludes, since the last few games are likely between two non-playoff teams in Calgary and Vancouver.

League Notes: Draft, Alignment, Playoffs

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The 2021 NHL Entry Draft is not expected to be moved, deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed today during his media availability with Gary Bettman. The reported changes concerning the lottery will be put to a full board of governors vote next week after the executive committee approved it recently. The full draft event, which is scheduled for July 23-24, will happen without the benefit of a full year of in-person scouting and could certainly provide some fireworks.

More notes from the availability today:

  • The league is expecting to return to the previous divisional alignment next season, though there will still be the change of the Arizona Coyotes moving to the Central Division and the Seattle Kraken debuting in the Pacific. While there has been some excitement about the new geographic rivalries created this season, the plan has always been to go back to the previous divisions once things got back to normal.
  • On the note of the Kraken, Bettman explained that both the rink in Seattle and the one on Long Island are on schedule to open in time to start the 2021-22 season. Climate Pledge Arena (Kraken) and UBS Arena (Islanders) will give updated homes and new destinations while hopefully providing some stability for the two franchises.
  • When asked about where the winner of the North Division will play once the NHL is down to four teams in the playoffs, Daly explained there is still some time before a decision has to be made. The Conference Finals round is scheduled for some time in mid-June, meaning they won’t have to make a decision on whether the Canadian team will have to come to the U.S. to play for a while yet.

League Notes: COVID Safety Measures, Draft Lottery, Draft Date

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As alluded to earlier, the NHL and NHLPA have revealed a joint release describing several new Coronavirus safety measures in response to the growing list of players in the COVID Protocol and game postponements. Included in the list of new strategies to mitigate the spread of the virus are a “work/home quarantine”, a ban on non-virtual team meetings and social interactions, removal of the glass behind the penalty box, KN95 face masks, and even revised seating assignments in the locker room and during travel to use previous positive-test players as “buffers”. There will also be rapid testing for all U.S. teams on game days, with a similar system in the works for Canadians clubs, genome sequencing tests, greater testing availability for household members, and a greater emphasis on COVID education. Will all of this change the current COVID calamity across the league? It certainly won’t hurt.

  • As rumored this off-season, the NHL is going to take a closer look at changing the structure of the NHL Draft Lottery. On Thursday’s edition of TSN’s “Insider Trading”, Pierre LeBrun reported that NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has revealed to him that a review of the lottery process is officially underway. He believes that a pitch will be made to the Board of Governors soon as to a proposed new format. The assumption of course is that the new structure will give increased odds of winning the lottery to the teams finishing at the bottom of standings. The talk this off-season centered around the Detroit Red Wings, who failed to win even one of the lottery draws for the 2020 NHL Draft and fell to fourth in a season in which they were historically bad and well below even the 30th-ranked team in the NHL. Many owners and GM’s felt that this shifted the status quo and placed importance on avoiding such poor teams missing out on top picks in the future, or at least offering them a better chance of landing those picks. Whether or not these lottery changes will be approved, and if so in time for the next entry draft, remain to be seen.
  • The question still remains of when the 2021 NHL Draft will actually be held. Given the lack of opportunity for a number of prospects this season, there have been considerable talks about postponing the draft. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that NHL’s general managers plan to meet soon to discuss options for the coming draft. Dreger believes there are three possible options for the draft. The first, of course, is to leave the draft as is in June. With the CHL leagues working toward a return and the American junior and collegiate levels and European leagues well underway, there will likely have been a chance for every team to see every prospect, even if only in a limited sample size. This will put teams on an even playing field, however those drafting later in the first round may wind up benefiting from the lack of complete information allowing some superior prospects to slide. The other two possibilities involve postponing the draft. The first is to schedule the draft for the winter, either December of January, to allow teams to gather more data over the remainder of this season, in summer tournaments, and early next season. The second, and to Dreger the one likely to be most supported by GM’s, is to hold the 2021 and 2022 drafts back-to-back next summer, allowing for another complete season to replace the current campaign before teams are asked to select players. All three options hold merit and there are likely still many factors to consider over the next few months before a formal decision can be made.

Evening Notes: Canucks, Stars, Reign

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The Vancouver Canucks entered Monday over the NHL’s salary cap upper limit. Yet, when waivers are completed tomorrow, the team will be in near-perfect shape regardless of the results. Spotted among the many names on waivers today were two veteran forwards from Vancouver: Loui Eriksson and Sven Baertschi. While any Canucks fan would like to see both claimed off waivers, there is almost no chance that either one will be moving elsewhere. Eriksson and his $6MM cap hit have failed to live up to expectations for four years now and no other team is likely to be willing to take a chance on the former All-Star. Baertschi and his own $3.37MM price tag were up for grabs on waivers multiple times last season and no one took a chance, leaving him buried in the AHL for much of the year. However, neither player needs to be claimed for the Canucks to benefit. Once both wingers clear waivers, they can be moved to the AHL or – more likely – the taxi squad. Their cap hits will thus be reduced by $1.075MM apiece for a total savings of $2.15MM. As CapFriendly points out, that is not only enough to get Vancouver back in the black relative to the cap ceiling; it will also leave them enough room to add a player on a minimum $700K salary back to the active roster. This is important, as it will bring the cap payroll as close to the upper limit as possible, allowing the team to take close to full advantage of Micheal Ferland’s Long-Term Injured Reserve placement. The savings of nearly $3.5MM will be used to sign defenseman Travis Hamonic and to replace one or two of the forward slots abandoned by Eriksson and Baertschi. Whether anticipated or not, it’s some impressive salary cap magic by GM Jim Benning and company.

  • The Canucks were also back at practice today after a COVID-19 scare on Sunday. Vancouver canceled all team activities yesterday in response to a possible exposure, but fortunately no players or staff have tested positive, per Sportsnet. The team is back on track and there are no further issues expected from this specific case of potential exposure.
  • Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars are still dealing with their Coronavirus issue. After six players and two staff members tested positive before Friday’s practice, the team shut down their facilities over the weekend and were not able to open back up today.  Their first three games of the season, on the road against the Florida Panthers twice and the first of two against the Tampa Bay Lightning, have already been postponed but the hopes is that their new opener, set for January 19 in Tampa, will go on as scheduled. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas News that the league is prepared to do what needs to be done, but that they do feel the Stars are “at the end of that outbreak” and are now focused on how it occured initially. Daly added that medical personnel would decide when it is safe to re-open the facility and that all parties feel the 19th remains a fair goal for Dallas to be both healthy and well-prepared. DeFranks has since reported that Dallas will indeed return to practice on Tuesday, though all further camp sessions will be closed to the media.
  • The Ontario Reign, AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, have announced the hiring of Craig Johnson as an assistant coach for the club. The Reign already have a new head coach in John Wroblewski and now add another new face in Johnson, who is actually a familiar name to Kings fans who remember him from his seven season playing with the team in the late 90’s and early 00’s.  Johnson’s coaching experience is somewhat limited, serving as a head coach for local youth and high school teams in Southern California. However, he has also served as a development coach for the Kings over the past two seasons and briefly worked for the Reign previously in the ECHL back in 2010-11.

San Jose Sharks Expected To Open Season In Arizona

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With the NHL and NHLPA inching closer to a resolution on the 2020-21 season, teams are beginning to prepare for the reality of a forthcoming campaign. While the Canadian clubs have issues to work out before the season can begin, the San Jose Sharks are another team facing questions. Santa Clara County has banned contact sports locally through at least January 8, a policy that was recently extended and could be extended again as Coronavirus numbers remain high. This proves problematic for the Sharks, who as a reigning non-playoff team would be eligible to begin training camp on December 31 and may need to host games as early as January 13.

The Sharks’ solution appears to lie in following a fellow Bay Area team south. An anonymous source tells the Associated Press that San Jose will open their season in Arizona, much like how the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers have moved to Arizona to conclude their own season. While there is no word on whether the Sharks will share a facility with the Arizona Coyotes as the 49ers have done with the Arizona Cardinals, that is the expectation. Fortunately, this move will not disrupt the NHL’s current plan for realigned divisions and exclusive inter-division play this season, as both teams have been slotted for a new-look Pacific Division.

The AP source remained anonymous on this issue as details both on the league’s return to play and on the Sharks’ move have not been finalized nor have they been made public. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly took the same approach, telling the AP that he would not discuss details related to the Sharks’ plans as details of the restart still need to be papered and voted upon by the NHL Board of Governors and NHLPA both. The Sharks have additionally declined to comment on the relocation proposal. However, given the lack of any contrary reports, the restrictions facing San Jose, and the path already paved by the 49ers, it is a safe bet that the Sharks are Arizona-bound at least to open training camp and to begin their 2020-21 season.

Latest On Mid-January Season Start

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The NHL and NHLPA have resolved their financial issues that were a potential hold up for the 2020-21 season. Now, both sides are moving forward to work out a season that could start as early as January 13, according to Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun of TSN. Dreger adds that NHL training camps will likely be ten days long and not include any exhibition play. The seven teams that did not qualify for this summer’s postseason bubble are now unlikely to receive any additional training camp time.

In his piece for The Athletic, LeBrun includes a quote from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly:

We are moving forward with the process of working through all of the issues that need to be addressed and agreed to, and that are obviously unique to playing a season during a pandemic.

That doesn’t spark a ton of confidence, but LeBrun explains that both sides have agreed to leave the financial terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, signed this summer as part of a CBA extension, as they currently are. That “renegotiation” was one of the things that the players’ union would not budge on, believing they signed a fair deal a few months ago. With the NHL presumably backing down on any changes, things can now start to move forward on planning and protocols for the upcoming season.

There is no guarantee that the two sides can work through everything, but the focus now is on a January 13 start of a 56-game schedule. Today’s news has brought plenty of optimism among the hockey community, but LeBrun cautions that the COVID-19 situation all across North America and the world could still potentially delay or derail the season completely.

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