With a tentative agreement on the table between the NHL and NHLPA, pending a board of governors vote on Sunday, the importance of finalizing a deal with Canadian health officials on NHL hockey in Canada this season is paramount.
Of the five provinces home to NHL franchises, four have reportedly approved of the NHL's plan, deeming it safe enough to allow play to resume. Those provinces include Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec - which leaves British Columbia as the outlier who has dismissed the notion of hockey resuming in the province until COVID-19 cases begin to recede.
TSN's Ryan Rishaug has reported on Saturday evening that the BC government remains less than optimistic that the NHL can resume play safely and have teams travel across the country without increasing the risk of importing more COVID-19 cases to the province.
As a result, BC health officials are holding firm on not allowing play to resume, which could force the Canucks out of Vancouver to start the season.
Of course, there is still some time left to reach a deal with BC, but for now, officials are keeping things status quo in an attempt to control the spread of the virus.
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