While British Columbia has been the most vocal regarding issues with having NHL teams travel in and out of the province this upcoming season, it is not the only province expressing concerns.
"Yes, British Columbia is the most opposed to the NHL's Return to Play plan, but the province of Ontario is among those [that] hasn't signed off on the deal either and has raised concerns, especially with Toronto in lockdown," said Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
Garrioch added the NHL could release a schedule in the next few days for 2020-21 if it can reach a deal with Canadian provinces.
"The NHL hopes to release a schedule mid-week if the provinces sign off on a deal to allow an all-Canadian division. The sense is Ontario can be convinced, but nobody is sure about British Columbia."
Without the approval of all five provinces that have NHL teams, those clubs will not be able to play at their home arenas. The options, if there is no deal, are to play in bubble, at least for the first part of the season, or re-locate teams to the United States for a period of time.
There is still time left to reach an agreement between provincial health officials and the NHL. Another discussion is set to take place Monday. However, with training camps set to open within the next couple of weeks, the clock in certainly ticking. The NHL and NHLPA officially officially reached a deal Sunday afternoon for a 56-game season beginning January 13th.
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