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Thankfully, it appears that the NHL and NHLPA’s silence was more a symptom of a holiday than it was anything else... probably. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun detailed some of the aspects of yesterday’s talks on Twitter. Nothing financial was addressed, but key aspects of how the season will be played were focused on, such as the start date and length of camps and the length of the season - 56 games seems to be favored.
The biggest news is that the January 1st start date that the NHL was aiming for is off of the table. The longer the talks between the league and the players’ union go on, the less and less likely that date looked. The new date? Mid-January:
A Jan. 15 start is now being discussed, source says, really no choice given that Jan 1 doesn’t seem realistic at this point. Economic issues still unresolved but both sides keep talking about other issues around season planning. As Frank says below, some positive vibes https://t.co/0uMf6FViG2
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 4, 2020
Of course, this isn’t a hundred percent contingent on only the NHL’s talks with the NHLPA being successful - it’s also contingent on public health measures, local ordinances, and figuring out how to best deal with the Canadian border being closed for the foreseeable future.
Still, the postponement is a good sign. Why? Both sides want the season to start. With a common goal they may be more prone to reach a resolution on the monetary hang-ups.