No answers yet on season start
Jan. 1 season start looks unlikely, as NHL, players union try to hammer out a deal
The Ottawa Senators have been waiting patiently for answers.
Well, they'll have to sit back a little longer.
The possibility of a Jan. 1 start to the regular season is slowly, but surely, slipping away with each passing day as the NHL and the NHL Players Association try to find common ground on the economics of getting the 2020-21 campaign underway with a deal that works for both sides.
While only 10 days ago deputy commissioner Bill Daly was confident the two sides were working toward an agreement, the situation took a turn for the worse when the league asked the players for a further salary deferral and indicated it wanted to change the amount of escrow as a result of the hardship by COVID-19.
The players felt this was settled when they signed an extension of the collective bargaining agreement four months ago. During a conference call late Thursday, they sent their negotiating team back to the table to let the league know they weren't going to give up any more.
The expectation is the two sides will find a way to make this work, but it will take more time.
That's not good news for the Senators, who were hopeful they'd be able to open their camp at the Canadian Tire Centre sometime around Dec. 7. Since the club didn't participate in the summer restart, it's one of the seven teams that's allowed to have an extra seven days with its players.
The others are the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks and the New Jersey Devils.
It should be noted the Senators are the only Canadian team in this scenario.
An agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA must happen within the next couple of days to have a realistic chance of starting camp early next month and, at this juncture, that appears highly unlikely.
Now, it should be noted if the league really wants to start Jan. 1, and they keep stating that's the case, then it's quite possible that week of extra camp offered to those seven teams will simply be scrapped. After eight months sitting idle would it really make that big a difference? Maybe.
If the NHL and NHLPA decide they no longer want to give that extra seven days to those seven teams so they can begin play
Jan. 1, then realistically they have until Nov. 30 to get a deal in place. American Thanksgiving is Nov. 26, so you have to think it's paramount they have an agreement by then.
In the meantime, players who have to make travel plans have decisions to make. The NHLPA is advising its members to stay where they are until there's certainty of a season taking place.
Though goaltender Matt Murray made his way to Ottawa this week from his home in Huntsville to begin skating here, and defenceman Erik Gudbranson returned a couple of weeks ago from his cottage in the Muskoka area, the transition is much easier for those two than it will be for many players.
Because they arrived from another part of the province, they weren't subject to a 14-day quarantine when they got to Ottawa.
That won't be the case for many of players. Right now, the Senators players who come to Ottawa will have to abide by the mandatory self-isolation rule. That will have to be completed before they can go for a skate with some of their teammates in the limited groups that are allowed to use the club's facilities in Kanata.
For example, goaltender Marcus Hogberg, who would like to return from Sweden as soon as possible, has to make a decision in the coming days on whether he wants to get on a flight to begin his self-isolation or continue skating near his hometown while awaiting an agreement.
At this point, there are no guarantees there's going to be a season and there won't be until the two sides are able to put pen to paper with a deal they can both stomach.
So, should a guy like Hogberg really rush to Ottawa under these circumstances? And, in this case, he's hardly alone.
Colin White, Brady Tkachuk, Logan Brown, Artem Anisimov, Josh Norris and Joey Daccord all are working out near their off-season homes in the United States.
Prospects such as Erik Brannstrom, Jonathan Davidsson, Filip Gustavsson, Lassi Thomson, Vitaly Abramov, Rudolfs Balcers and Olle Alsing have found jobs overseas.
If the Senators have proper testing protocols in place then the possibility exists they may not be subject to the quarantine. That's a deal that would have to be worked out between officials from the Canadian government and officials from the league but as of last week the 14-day rule remained in place.
Most predict now it will be between Jan. 15 and Feb. 1 when the NHL returns.
The Senators hoped to have more information by Friday on what may happen with the start of the season.
Unfortunately, that's not going to be the case, so it remains a big guessing game.
The NHLPA is advising its members to stay where they are until there's certainty of a season taking place.