Last September, the NHL, the NHLPA and the IIHF finally reached a deal that allows the NHL players to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The deal, however, had several conditions and one of them was the NHL’s right to withdrawn from the participation until January 10, if the COVID-19 situation got worse.
The latest NHL news has added some concerns about the NHL’s possible participation in the Olympics. Just yesterday it was announced that the league postponed the New York Islanders’ games at least through Tuesday. Since last week the Isles had several key players unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols, including their captain Anders Lee and top defenceman Ryan Pelech.