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NHL, players remain in stalemate over details for next season

Updated November 28, 2020 - 6:56 pm

The clock continues to tick on the start of the 2020-21 NHL season.

Another week passed without an agreement between the league and the NHL Players’ Association on how to proceed with business while the coronavirus pandemic rages on.

The sides are expected to resume discussions this week, according to multiple reports, but time is starting to dwindle if they are to work out a deal ahead of the league’s stated target start date of Jan. 1.

The major sticking point appears to be the owners’ recent request to players to increase the escrow limits and defer an additional portion of their salary.

When the league and players announced an extension to the collective bargaining agreement through 2025-26 in July, it capped escrow at 20 percent for players in the first year of the deal and included a 10 percent salary deferral.

According to Sportsnet, owners made two proposals to the players for the upcoming season in anticipation of reduced hockey-related revenue.

The first plan called for escrow limits of 25 percent and an increased salary deferral of 20 percent rather than prorated salaries for a reduced schedule.

The second option presented to players asked for a 26 percent salary deferral in the first year and escrow capped from 8.5 to 9 percent in the final three years of the CBA.

The most recent agreement capped escrow for players at 6 percent in the final three seasons.

To this point, players have balked at the notion of renegotiating a CBA that was agreed upon almost five months earlier.

The league is motivated to play and complete the final year of its U.S. television deal with NBC.

However, the worst-case scenario is several owners decide it’s more expensive to play with reduced capacity or no fans in arenas and push for a shutdown.

The league and players are under no deadline to agree on a format and COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming season ahead of Jan. 1 and could push back its start if necessary.

Training camp traditionally lasts for about two weeks, and the Golden Knights played seven exhibition games in each of their first three seasons.

With most players currently in the middle of offseason workouts, a shorter training camp and reduced exhibition schedule could enable a Jan. 1 start if the sides come together quickly.

Several players recently ended their loans with European teams and started the process of returning to North America in anticipation of quarantining ahead of the start of training camps.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed this month that the league is looking at a 48- to 60-game schedule rather than a full 82-game slate.

The format also must be settled, with the concept of hub cities or bubbles similar to the most recent postseason being widely rejected, according to several media reports.

Rather, the league is expected to realign its divisions to allow teams to travel and play two-game series against opponents.

With the border between the U.S. and Canada closed to nonessential travel, the seven Canadian franchises are expected to comprise one division. The remaining 24 teams would be placed in three eight-team divisions.

The Knights probably would play against its remaining Pacific Division rivals in addition to Colorado, Dallas and another club (possibly Minnesota).

The Henderson Silver Knights are set to debut in the American Hockey League, which announced an anticipated Feb. 5 start date.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.

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