According to Philadelphia Flyers beat writer Sam Carchidi, the NHL is expected to announce the official start dates for both camp and the season later this week.
This doesn't come as a huge surprise, given that there have been numerous reports that the league is hoping to begin the season as soon as January 13. If that is to happen, they will be looking at a 56-game schedule. Rumors of a potential lockout seem to have passed as the NHL and NHLPA were able to wrap up negotiations last week, meaning a 2020-21 season will indeed be happening.
Of course, there are still some things to be sorted out as the league has and will continue to have to make changes given the current pandemic. One of those is a division realignment, which would see entirely new divisions for the 2020-21 season, including an all-Canadian division so that players will not have to cross the border during the regular season. There will also be talks about having fans in attendance, although it is expected that at least for the start of the regular season arenas will be empty as they were for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs
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