Toronto Maple Leafs: Highlights from New CBA/ Return to Play Agreement

The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming back.

Per a league press release from Friday night, the NHL and NHLPA have ratified the return to play protocols as well as a four year collective bargaining agreement.

Not only does this mean that hockey is coming back (pending the safe implementation of safety protocols as it concerns Covid 19) but it also means that there won’t be another strike/lockout for at least four years.

You may recall that in 2012 the NHL played only half of a season due to labour strife, and that the entire 2004 season was canceled.

So that alone is very good news.

Toronto Maple Leafs Return to Play

The new CBA runs through the 2025-26 NHL season.

Here are some highlights from the agreement:

• Play will resume with five games scheduled for Saturday August 1st.
• Should this come to pass, there will have been 142 days between games.
• Flat cap of $81.5 million until revenue returns to normal pre-Covid levels. (per TSN).
• Less escrow.
• Possibility of Olympic Participation.
• Stanley Cup Final to be played in early October, during what normally would have been the start of next season.
• ”  Each team will be permitted to bring a maximum of 52 individuals into the Secure Zones in the hub cities, including a maximum of 31 players.”
• “In keeping with the League’s commitment to the health and safety of all participants, each of the 52 Club personnel will live inside a secure “bubble” – the Phase 4 Secure Zone – and will be tested daily for COVID-19 as well as being administered daily temperature checks and symptom screenings.”
• The games on day 1 will be Florida vs Islanders, Montreal vs Penguins and Carolina vs Rangers.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets will start their series on Sunday, August 2nd.
• The Leafs and Blue Jackets have games scheduled for the 2nd, 4th and 6th.  If necessary, they will also play on August 7th and 9th.
• With eight series and a round robin qualifier,  there are a possible 52 games to play between August 1st and 9th, which is completely awesome.

Overall, this is amazing news. After weeks of speculation, we finally have some solid dates, as well as the great news of the CBA extension.

Of course, resuming play will be a risk, and some players have already opted out.  The games might or might not actually start, but after nearly four months without hockey,  this is at least exciting, concrete news.

At the very least, the NHL has avoided another lockout (though somewhat ironically, during a lockout they didn’t cause).