Report: NHL 'cautiously optimistic' CBA talks could prompt 2021 World Cup
Best-on-best international hockey making a return? Yes please.
National Hockey League deputy commissioner Bill Daly claimed that he’s “cautiously optimistic” with how CBA talks have been going with the NHL Players’ Association. He believes both parties are on the same page about hosting the next World Cup of Hockey in February of 2021 if the two sides can extend the agreement, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.
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The proposed World Cup, which is planned to occur during the season, would be “about a week in length,” Daly claims. The “mini-tournament,” as he put it, would supplement the 2021 All-Star Game.
Daly also stated that talks in general between the league and NHLPA have been going well.
“The general state of things, there seems to be a lot of agreement on,” Daly told Sportsnet. “It’s very kind of amorphous right now but there doesn’t seem to be like a huge sticking point on the issues we’ve talked about. I think there’s general agreement kind of directionally. Where we should be going.”
Donald Fehr, leader of the Players’ Association, does agree that talks have been going smoothly, but also cautions about getting too excited this early in the process.
“Where we are at the moment it’s really hard to make predictions,” Fehr claimed.
Still though, for any fan who is opposed to another lockout, this is obviously encouraging news.
The decision to continue with the current CBA is arriving soon, as the NHL has until September 1st to decide whether or not they want the current deal to expire in 2020. If they decide to uphold the agreement, then the NHLPA will have until September 15th to make a decision.
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