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Key Dates for the Proposed 2021 NHL Season

As per the Insiders, doing that thing they do where they take turns telling you the tidbits on the CBA deal about to be revealed, we have some dates for the coming season.

Credit goes to Pierre LeBrun, Darren Dreger and Frank Seravalli, with some cameos by Bob McKenzie and a bit from Elliotte Friedman yesterday.

  • Opt-out deadline: December 24 for non-playoff teams, December 27 for everyone else
  • Regular season start: January 13
  • RFA signing deadline (the usual December 1 one): February 11
  • Players on one-year deals may sign extensions: March 12
  • Regular season end: May 8
  • Trade deadline: April 12
  • Playoffs over by July 15 at the latest
  • Protected lists due for the expansion draft on July 17
  • Expansion draft: July 21
  • Entry Draft: July 23-24
  • Free agency begins: July 28

Some implications of all of that:

The season starting on January 13 and ending on May 8 would make the 2020-21 season 116 days (as opposed to the usual 186).