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Revision as of 06:59, 19 December 2020

2020–21 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationJanuary 13, 2021-TBD
Number of games56
Number of teams31
Draft
Top draft pickAlexis Lafreniere
Picked byNew York Rangers
Regular season
Playoffs
Stanley Cup
NHL seasons

The 2020–21 NHL season will be the 104th season of operation (103rd season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the second consecutive season to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic The start of the regular season will be delayed and officially announced at a later date instead of the normal October-to-April period.[1]

League business

Collective bargaining agreement

The collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which had been in effect since the end of the 2012–13 NHL lockout, was set to enter its penultimate season in 2020–21.[2]

On July 10, 2020, the league reached an agreement to renew the CBA through the 2025–26 NHL season, including an increase of the minimum player salary to $750,000 from $700,000, increasing the maximum value of entry-level contracts, deferring 10% of player salaries for the 2020–21 season to cover costs associated with the pandemic (they will be paid back over three seasons beginning 2022–23), escrow of player salaries capped at 20% for this season and decreasing incrementally to 14-18%, 10%, and 6% over the three seasons that follow (with the 6% applying thereafter), doubling of the playoff bonus pool to $32 million, and an agreement for the NHL to negotiate a return to the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics (after being absent from the 2018 Winter Olympics).[3][4]

The CBA will be automatically renewed through 2026–27 if player escrow debt falls between $125 million and $250 million after the 2024–25 season.[4]

Salary cap

As part of the new CBA, the salary cap will remain at $81.5 million for the 2020–21 season. Future increases will occur incrementally until the league recovers from the financial impact of the pandemic.[3][4]

Player and puck tracking technology

For the first time, the league plans to use the league's player and puck tracking system in all 31 NHL arenas. The system will allow on-air features such as speed displays, puck tracking graphics, and marker graphics hovering above players (though not to the extremes on-air of the mid-90s FoxTrax experiment). The league had planned to deploy this technology to all 31 arenas by September 2019, but a change to its primary technology partner delayed implementation.[5]

Media rights

NBC Sports' current ten-year contract for U.S. national broadcast rights will expire after the 2020–21 season (marking its 15th season overall as an NHL broadcaster); the NHL has explored the possibility of splitting its national media rights between interested broadcasters,[6] and possibly signing with an over-the-top service (such as DAZN or ESPN+).[7] In any case, the league is looking to generate more revenue than the nearly US$2 billion total that NBC paid over the life of their 2011–12 to 2020–21 contract.[8] Sports Business Journal reported on June 15 that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL would be deferring all negotiations regarding future media rights to no earlier than late 2020 or early 2021.[9]

In Canada, this will be the seventh season of the league's twelve-year rights deal with Rogers Sports & Media.[10] Sportsnet West's regional rights to both the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers expired at the end of the previous 2019–20 season.[11]

On October 5, 2020, the Winnipeg Jets renewed its regional television rights with TSN3 under a multi-year deal,[12] and announced that Corus Entertainment would assume the team's radio rights under a seven-year deal, with CJOB and CJKR-FM serving as co-flagships and both replacing CFRW. It marks the first time Winnipeg's NHL team will air on CJOB, since the original Winnipeg Jets.[13]

Draft

The 2020 NHL Entry Draft was originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec,[14] but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] It took place on October 6 and 7 in a remote format, hosted from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.[16][17] The New York Rangers were awarded the first pick in the 2020 Draft after winning the second phase of the draft lottery on August 10 and selected Alexis Lafreniere.[18]

Postponed international games in Europe

Two preseason games were planned to be played in Europe: the Boston Bruins against Adler Mannheim at SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany, and the Nashville Predators against SC Bern at PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland. In addition, three regular season games, were also planned: the Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic; and two games between the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, later in the fall.[19]

On May 8, 2020, the league postponed these five international games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to reschedule them for the 2021–22 season.[20]

Coaching changes

Coaching changes
Off–season
Team 2019–20 coach 2020–21 coach Story / Accomplishments
Calgary Flames Bill Peters
Geoff Ward* 		Geoff Ward Peters resigned on November 29, 2019, after accusations of racism were made by former Rockford IceHogs player Akim Aliu when Peters was coaching the AHL club a decade earlier. Peters spent 1⅓ seasons with the Flames, registering a record of 12–12–4 to start the season after reaching the first round of the playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference the previous season. Ward, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[21][22] On September 14, Ward was named head coach.[23]
Dallas Stars Jim Montgomery
Rick Bowness* 		Rick Bowness Montgomery was dismissed on December 10, 2019 due to "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs" of the Stars and the league. He spent 1⅓ seasons with the Stars, registering a record of 17–11–3 to start the season after reaching the second round of the playoffs the previous season. Bowness, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[24][25] On October 29, Bowness was named permanent head coach.[26]
Minnesota Wild Bruce Boudreau
Dean Evason* 		Dean Evason Boudreau was fired on February 14, 2020, after 3⅔ seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 27–23–7 to start the season. The Wild had reached the playoffs in the first two seasons of his tenure in Minnesota but had not qualified for the playoffs since the 2017–18 season. Evason, who had served as an assistant coach with the Wild since the start of the 2018–19 season, was immediately named interim head coach.[27] On July 13, Evason was named head coach.[28]
New Jersey Devils John Hynes
Alain Nasreddine* 		Lindy Ruff Hynes was fired on December 3, 2019, after 4⅓ seasons with the team, which had registered a 9–13–4 record to start the season. The Devils reached the playoffs once in Hynes' tenure, and did not advance past the first round in 2018. Nasreddine, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[29] On July 9, the Devils named Ruff as head coach who was previously an assistant coach for the New York Rangers.[30]
San Jose Sharks Peter DeBoer
Bob Boughner* 		Bob Boughner DeBoer was fired on December 11, 2019, after 4⅓ seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 15–16–2 to start the season. The Sharks qualified for the playoffs in all of the four previous seasons under DeBoer, and advanced to the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals. Boughner, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[31] On September 22, Boughner was named head coach.[32]
Washington Capitals Todd Reirden Peter Laviolette Reirden was fired on August 24, 2020, after the team failed to get past the first round for the second consecutive year. The team won the division title each year under Reirden, accumulating an 89–46–16 record over two seasons.[33] On September 15, the Capitals named Laviolette as head coach, who had been fired by Nashville the previous season.[34][35]

(*) Indicates interim.

Front office changes

General managers
Off–season
Team 2019–20 GM 2020–21 GM Story / Accomplishments
Arizona Coyotes John Chayka
Steve Sullivan* 		Bill Armstrong Chayka (after four years with the team) quit unexpectedly as the team headed into the 2020 Qualifying Round. Sullivan was named interim general manager.[36] Bill Armstrong was named general manager on September 16. Armstrong had previously served as assistant general manager of the St. Louis Blues.[37]
Buffalo Sabres Jason Botterill Kevyn Adams Botterill was fired of June 16, 2020, after three years as the Sabres' general manager, and was replaced by Adams.[38]
New Jersey Devils Ray Shero
Tom Fitzgerald* 		Tom Fitzgerald Shero was fired on January 12, 2020, after five years as the Devils' general manager. Fitzgerald was named interim general manager.[39] On July 9, Fitzgerald was named permanent general manager.[40]

(*) Indicates interim.

Arena changes

  • The Colorado Avalanche's home arena was renamed from the Pepsi Center to Ball Arena on October 22, 2020.
  • The New York Islanders were scheduled to play all of their home games for the 2020–21 season at Nassau Coliseum. The team had split their home games between Nassau and Barclays Center during the past two seasons. The Islanders plan to move to UBS Arena for the 2021–22 season.[41] In June 2020, Mikhail Prokhorov, whose company runs the Nassau Coliseum, announced that the Coliseum would be closed indefinitely while it seeks new investors to take it over and assume the remaining debt.[42]

Regular season

The regular season was originally planned to begin in October 2020 and end in April 2021, but the plan had to be changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[43] In December, the league said the season would be shorter than the typical 82 games.[44] Attendance at each arena will be limited by local health orders.[45] The league also relies on attendance for at least 50 percent of its revenue, and the players are against spending the full season isolated in neutral-site bubbles similar to their situation during the 2020 playoffs.[46]

The schedule will also be limited by COVID-19 travel restrictions at the Canada–U.S. border. With seven Canadian teams, the travel restrictions will affect the NHL the most out of all major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. To limit travel between the two countries, the Golden Knights' owner Bill Foley suggested that the NHL could temporarily realign the seven Canadian teams into a single division.[47]

In July 2020, the league and the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) initially agreed to tentatively schedule the opening of training camp on November 17, 2020, and the start of the regular season on December 1.[17] In October 2020, both the NHL and NHLPA began discussions on the specific details on how to proceed with the season.[46] On October 6, the NHL and the NHLPA agreed to delay the targeted start date of the regular season to January 1, 2021, and to decide at a later date when to open training camp.[48]

In mid-November 2020, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated that the league was still targeting a January 1 start, but that "we have to build in flexibility for the hiccups that we expect will come along and have to expect will come along with potential COVID positives and contact tracing requirements", citing "difficulties" faced by Major League Baseball and the National Football League over their handling of the pandemic.[49]

The league had already scheduled this season's All-Star Game and two NHL outdoor games before the pandemic.[50] However, on October 22, 2020, it was announced that due to "ongoing uncertainty" since both events rely on fan participation, the 2021 Winter Classic (which was originally scheduled on January 1 to feature the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues at Target Field) and the 2021 All-Star Game had been postponed (originally to be hosted at the BB&T Center on January 30), and may not return until 2022 at the earliest (although the All-Star Game could be deferred further due to the 2022 Winter Olympics). A decision on the 2021 Stadium Series game, which will be hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes at Carter–Finley Stadium on February 20, is yet to be made.[51][52]

Uniforms

"Reverse Retro" jerseys

On November 16, 2020, the NHL introduced Adidas "Reverse Retro" jerseys for all 31 teams, which feature throwback uniforms with a modern twist.[53]

Atlantic Division
  • Boston Bruins: primarily "gold"-color throwback jerseys, with details matching those of the 1987–88 and 1989–90 seasons, when the team reached two Stanley Cup Finals over a three-season span.[54]
  • Buffalo Sabres: The team's first third jersey in 2000, except done in the team's current colors and on a white template.
  • Detroit Red Wings: 1998 throwbacks, when they won their ninth Stanley Cup in 1998; taking additional inspiration from their white jerseys from 1961 except replacing the red stripes with silver ones.
  • Florida Panthers: 1996 throwbacks, when they made their only Stanley Cup Finals appearance, except navy blue and with the team's current color scheme.
  • Montreal Canadiens: 1976 throwbacks, except the blue and red are reversed.
  • Ottawa Senators: 1992 throwbacks, the team's inaugural season, but now red.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning: 2004 throwbacks, when they won their first Stanley Cup, but now blue.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs: 1970 throwbacks.
Metropolitan Division
Central Division
Pacific Division
  • Anaheim Ducks: The team's first third jersey in 1995, featuring team mascot Wildwing breaking out a sheet of ice, except white instead of jade.
  • Arizona Coyotes: The team's first third jersey in 1999, originally colored green but now purple.
  • Calgary Flames: The team's first third jersey in 1998.
  • Edmonton Oilers: 1979 throwbacks, the team's first season after the NHL–WHA merger. This jersey is inspired by the 1972 Alberta Oilers design.
  • Los Angeles Kings: 1989 throwbacks, when Wayne Gretzky broke the NHL record for all-time leading scorer. The design has the 1988–1998 era logo and is colored in forum blue (purple) and gold colors used on the team's original uniforms in the 1960s and 1970s.
  • San Jose Sharks: The team's first third jersey in 1998, but now gray.
  • Vancouver Canucks: The team's third jersey in 2001, originally colored with red gradients, but now green.
  • Vegas Golden Knights: Based on the jerseys worn by the 1995 Las Vegas Thunder of the International Hockey League, except the teams's secondary logo is on the crest of the jersey, and the dominant color is red.

Wholesale team changes

  • The Buffalo Sabres reintroduced their original royal blue, gold and white uniforms full-time, worn by the team from 1970 to 1996.[55]
  • The Calgary Flames reintroduced their original red, yellow, and white uniforms, worn by the team from 1980 to 1994. The design had been used as an alternate, retro jersey in recent seasons.[56]
  • The Dallas Stars introduced new alternate black and neon green uniforms.[57]
  • The Ottawa Senators reintroduced its 1997–2007 logo, with a gold outline as opposed to red, and a uniform set similar to the jerseys used from 1992 to 1995.[58]
  • The Vegas Golden Knights introduced new alternate metallic gold uniforms.[59]

See also

References

  1. ^ Whyno, Stephen (October 6, 2020). "NHL targeting Jan. 1 to begin next season". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  2. ^ "NHLPA declines to reopen collective bargaining agreement". NHL.com. September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "NHL is back in business with ratification of CBA, return-to-play plan". Sportsnet. Rogers Sports & Media. July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b c "NHL, NHLPA ratify CBA extension through 2025-26 season". NHL.com. July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "Bettman: NHL puck and player tracking to start in playoffs". Associated Press. Sportsnet. January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  6. ^ Ourand, John (May 27, 2019). "NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman relishes the opportunities as next media deal approaches". sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Deitsch, Richard (November 14, 2019). "Media Mailbag: The latest on the NHL's TV contract talks, Thursday Night Football's future, on CBS landing the Champions League". The Athletic. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Adgate, Brad (January 15, 2019). "Hockey's Big Pay Day Is Coming". Forbes. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "NHL will wait on next media rights deal until end of year or later". Sports Business Journal. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Rosen, Dan (November 26, 2013). "NHL, Rogers announce landmark 12-year deal". NHL.com. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  11. ^ Faguy, Steve (September 14, 2019). "Canadian NHL TV broadcast schedules for 2019-20". Fagstein. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  12. ^ Release, Media (October 5, 2020). "True North Sports + Entertainment, TSN announce extension for Jets games - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  13. ^ "CJOB acquires Winnipeg Jets radio broadcast rights for next seven years". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  14. ^ "Canadiens to host 2020 NHL Draft". NHL.com. June 19, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  15. ^ "NHL postpones Scouting Combine, Awards, Draft". NHL.com. March 25, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "2020 NHL Draft, being held virtually, will be unique for teams, viewers". NHL.com. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Johnston, Chris (July 10, 2020). "NHL announces tentative dates for return to play, compressed off-season". Sportsnet. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  18. ^ Morreale, Mike G. (August 10, 2020). "Rangers win No. 1 pick in 2020 NHL Draft in Second Phase of Lottery". NHL.com. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  19. ^ Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (November 8, 2019). "Bruins, Predators, Avalanche, Blue Jackets to play in 2020 Global Series". NHL.com. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  20. ^ "NHL postpones 2020 international games". NHL.com. May 8, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
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  22. ^ "Peters resigns as Flames head coach". TSN.ca. November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  23. ^ "Ward named head coach". NHL.com. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  24. ^ "Jim Montgomery dismissed as head coach of Stars". NHL.com. December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  25. ^ Leslie, Mike (December 10, 2019). "Dallas Stars fire head coach for 'unprofessional conduct'". Dallas: WFAA. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  26. ^ "Stars name Rick Bowness as head coach". NHL.com. October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  27. ^ Pierce, Jessi (February 14, 2020). "Boudreau fired as Wild coach, replaced by Evason". NHL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  28. ^ "Wild names Dean Evason full-time head coach". NHL.com. July 13, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  29. ^ "Hynes fired as coach of Devils, replaced by Nasreddine". NHL.com. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  30. ^ "RELEASE: Devils Name Lindy Ruff Head Coach". NHL.com. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  31. ^ "Sharks Announce Changes to Coaching Staff". NHL.com. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  32. ^ "Boughner will return as Sharks coach". NHL.com. September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  33. ^ Gulitti, Tom (August 23, 2020). "Reirden fired as Capitals coach after another loss in Eastern First Round". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L. P. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  34. ^ "Capitals Name Peter Laviolette Head Coach". NHL.com. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  35. ^ Kaplan, Emily (September 15, 2020). "Peter Laviolette named head coach of Washington Capitals". ESPN.com. ESPN Enterprises. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  36. ^ "Chayka quits as Coyotes general manager, replaced by Sullivan". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L. P. July 26, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  37. ^ "Arizona Coyotes Name Bill Armstrong as General Manager". NHL.com. September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  38. ^ "Kevyn Adams named General Manager of Buffalo Sabres". NHL.com. June 16, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  39. ^ "Statement from Josh Harris, Devils Managing Partner & Chairman". NHL.com. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  40. ^ "RELEASE: Devils Name Fitzgerald EVP/General Manager". NHL.com. July 9, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  41. ^ Olson, David (March 1, 2020). "All Islanders' '20-21 home games will be at Coliseum, Cuomo, NHL commish confirm". Newsday. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  42. ^ "Nassau Coliseum to close indefinitely while owner seeks new investors: Reports". WABC. June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  43. ^ "Bettman confirms NHL could delay start of 2020-21 season, if need be". Sportsnet. April 30, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  44. ^ Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (December 15, 2020). "NHL hopes to start season in mid-January, could play in hubs, arenas". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  45. ^ "Bettman says 2020-21 NHL season could start in December or January". Sportsnet. September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  46. ^ a b "Bubble won't be back for full 2020-21 NHL season". Associated Press. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  47. ^ "Shortened 2021 NHL season may feature all-Canadian Division, says Vegas owner Bill Foley". Edmonton Journal. October 16, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  48. ^ "NHL, NHLPA targeting Jan. 1 as start date for 2020-21 season". Sportsnet. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  49. ^ "2020-21 NHL schedule still up in the air". ProHockeyTalk | NBC Sports. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  50. ^ "Gary Bettman says coronavirus raises many uncertainties for NHL, including start of 2020-21 season". ESPN. September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  51. ^ "NHL postpones Winter Classic, All-Star Weekend for upcoming season". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  52. ^ "NHL postpones 2021 Winter Classic, All-Star Game". ProHockeyTalk. October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  53. ^ "Reverse Retro alternate jerseys for all 31 teams unveiled by NHL, adidas". NHL.com. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  54. ^ Russo, Eric (November 18, 2020). "Reverse Retro: A Look Back at the Era". bruins.nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2020. The Bruins' new alternate sweater is a gold remix of the team's white home uniform worn at Boston Garden from 1981-95, which included trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 1988 and 1990.
  55. ^ "Sabres bring back beloved royal blue, charging buffalo uniforms". NHL.com. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  56. ^ Staff (October 5, 2020). "Calgary Flames to adopt classic look as full-time uniforms - TSN.ca". TSN ca. Retrieved October 18, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  57. ^ DeFranks, Matthew (October 28, 2020). "Dallas Stars unveil new black and neon green alternate jersey". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 28, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  58. ^ "Ottawa Senators Introduce New Primary Logo". NHL.com. September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  59. ^ "'You'll know Vegas is on the ice': Golden Knights unveil golden uniforms". Las Vegas Sun. October 2, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
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