According to reports from all the usual sources, the 2020-21 NHL season will begin January 13, ten months to the day since the COVID-19 pandemic paused the 2019-20 regular season, after the NHL and NHLPA reached an agreement Friday night. The news was first reported by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Update: Sunday morning, the usual suspects started tweeting out critical dates for the 2020-21 season:
- Season start: January 13
- Trade deadline: April 12
- End of regular season: May 8
- Latest date for Stanley Cup Final: July 15
- Expansion draft: July 21
- 2021 NHL Draft: July 23-24
- Start of free agency: July 28
There will be 116 days of the regular season, which with 56 games scheduled averages out to a game every 2.