The NHL and NHL Players’ Association finalized their plans for the upcoming season Sunday, with a 56-game regular season beginning Jan. 13 and concluding May 8. Both sides had reportedly agreed to the season outline on Friday, but the approval of the league’s Board of Governors confirmed those plans.
The playoffs will feature the usual 16 teams in a best-of-seven, four-round format that wraps up in mid-July, putting the NHL on the path toward the 2021-22 season returning to a normal timeline, with the regular season beginning in October.
Training camps will open Jan.