TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning could begin their defense of the Stanley Cup by the middle of next month.
Having overcome financial hurdles with the players union, the NHL reportedly is eyeing a Jan. 13 start to the 2021 season.
There had been little progress toward planning talks for the upcoming season, especially after league owners asked players to assume more salary deferments beyond the 10% the NHL Players' Association agreed to in a return-to-play agreement this past summer.
But similar to those negotiations, once the financial obstacles are overcome, everything else could come together quickly.
According to multiple reports, including The Athletic and ESPN, the NHLPA presented the league with its counter-proposal — which included some concessions and requests on financial matters — but the league rebuffed it.
The sides now will begin planning the framework for the season under the conditions of the collective bargaining agreement extension passed in June.
The sides have had lengthy discussions about what the season might look like — number of games, divisional realignment, training camp structures — and a format could be presented to the league's board of governors and NHLPA executive board in the coming days. Both will need to agree to the format for it to proceed.
ESPN reported that the NHL is also working on a stimulus plan for teams to overcome financial issues caused by the pandemic, similar to the one created by the NBA, where each team is receiving $30 million from the league.
The Lightning have not heard from the NHL regarding a season format, but that's not unusual. The league typically wants to have its plan complete before presenting it to owners.
The NHL has, however, been in discussion with the team about the availability of Amalie Arena for scheduling purposes, talks that became more important when the Toronto Raptors announced they were going to begin the NBA season in Tampa.
The upcoming NHL season will be shorter than normal, down from 82 to 52 or 56 games, with a roughly two-week training camp.
There are also finer details to be ironed out, like whether to give extra preparation time to the seven non-playoff teams that didn't return to play in late July and haven't been together on the ice since March.
Also, the sides will have to decide how to handle the pandemic outside the bubble. How comfortable are players and teams with COVID-19 protocols? Will teams be given more roster flexibility, as in the NFL and Major League Baseball? Will players have the right to opt out?
Divisions will be realigned — likely regionally in order to reduce travel — including one division comprised of Canadian teams since they are unable to travel to the United States due to coronavirus-related restrictions.
It is unclear whether fans will be permitted to attend games. The Lightning are prepared to welcome fans, and Amalie Arena hosted roughly 2,000 socially distanced season ticket holders in September to watch the Stanley Cup finals on the video board.
