NHL To Drop Puck Aug. 1 After Ratifying CBA, Return-To-Play Plans

The NHL will officially resume play on Aug. 1 after the league and NHLPA on Friday ratified a four-year extension of the CBA through '25-26 and solidified return to play plans. Twelve Eastern Conference teams will play in Toronto, and 12 Western Conference teams will compete in Edmonton, which is also where the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final will occur. Teams will be allowed to bring up to 52 people into the bubble of each host city. A maximum of 31 players will be allowed. Team personnel inside the bubble will be tested daily for COVID-19 and submit to daily temperature checks and symptom screenings. Additionally, those with direct and indirect contact with clubs will also be tested daily. Anyone inside the bubble who tests positive will be isolated. Training camps begin on Monday.

NHLPA Exec Dir Don Fehr said, “This agreement is a meaningful step forward for the players and owners, and for our game, in a difficult and uncertain time. This would not have happened but for the enormous contributions that the players made throughout, particularly those who served on the Negotiating and Return to Play Committees, as well as those on the Executive Board.”