If there’s one underlying theme to the collective bargaining agreement that will ensure labor peace in the NHL for at least the next six seasons, it’s certainty. And when you’re in the throes of a worldwide pandemic that has thrown almost everything you’ve ever known into disarray, that’s a precious commodity.
There are some aspects of this deal that the owners will not particularly like. And there are a lot more reasons for the players to dislike this agreement even more. But both of them held their noses and approved it because, in reality, they had almost no choice.