Las Vegas left out in NHL cold

Edmonton, Toronto hub cities; new CBA agreed to

The tentative agreement reached Monday between the NHL and NHL Players’ Association on a new collective bargaining agreement paves the way for the league to resume its season.

But it’s also another blow to Las Vegas’ hopes of serving as a hub city.

According to a report Monday by The Associated Press, the NHL selected Edmonton, Alberta, and Toronto to serve as hosts for the qualifying round and at least the first two rounds of the 24-team postseason tournament.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an email to the Review-journal he could not confirm the AP report.

Las Vegas long had been considered a front-runner to host and was one of 10 finalists along with Chicago, Columbus (Ohio), Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Pittsburgh and Vancouver (British Columbia).

Clark County has seen a dip in new COVID-19 cases after a surge the preceding week, but the league appears to have sent Edmonton and Toronto to the NHLPA executive committee and Board of Governors as part of its return-to-play

plan along with the memorandum of understanding on an extension to the CBA.

The agreement needs twothirds approval from the Board of Governors and a majority of the 31-member executive committee to pass. It would then go to the full NHLPA membership, with players expected to complete their vote by Friday.

“The respective review and approval processes will take place over the next few days, and there will be no further comment until those processes are completed,” the league and players association said in a joint statement.

As part of the agreement, the league announced that formal training camp would begin

July 13 after being tentatively scheduled to start Friday.

Teams will arrive in their assigned hub city July 26, and the qualifying round is slated to begin Aug. 1.

Players can opt out of participating in the 24-team tournament and must notify their team in writing within 72 hours of the completion of the ratification process.

The Golden Knights and other Western Conference teams reportedly will play their games in Edmonton, and Toronto is expected to host the Eastern Conference.

The Knights earned a bye in the qualifying round and will face St. Louis, Colorado and Dallas in a round robin to determine the top four seeds in the Western Conference.

Rosters will consist of no more than 31 players, including goalies. Once teams arrive at their hub city, players and staff will undergo daily COVID-19 tests and temperature screenings. Players who test positive during the postseason will be considered “unfit to play,” according to the NHL memo.

Family members will not be permitted to join players in the “secure zones” for the qualifying round/round robin and first two rounds of the playoffs.

The NHL is in Phase Two of its return-to-play plan, with players voluntarily skating in small groups at team facilities. The league announced Monday that 23 of the 396 players have tested positive for COVID-19 with an additional 12 players testing positive outside of the Phase Two protocols.

A new CBA was necessary to avoid economic chaos after the league paused its season March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The extension adds an additional four years through 2025-26 and includes transition rules and a new critical dates calendar.

The salary cap, which is directly tied to hockey-related revenue, reportedly will be frozen at $81.5 million for at least next season. The upper limit won’t change until revenue returns to $4.8 billion, according to TSN.

Escrow, the portion of each player’s paycheck withheld to ensure a 50-50 revenue split with owners, will be capped at 20 percent for 2020-21. Players also will defer 10 percent of their salary next season to help repay owners, and that will be repaid over the final three years of the CBA.

The deal also would allow NHL players to participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympics and the 2026 Milan Olympics pending a deal with the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation.

One item that wasn’t cleared up in the agreement is whether forward Jack Dugan is eligible to participate for the Knights in the postseason.

A source indicated that Dugan, the NCAA’S leading scorer this season, would not be able to play in 2019-20 but could be allowed to sign and burn the first year of his two-year, entry-level contract.

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