Return to Play Plan focus of NHL @TheRink podcast

The announcement of the NHL Return to Play Plan with key protocols and the four-year extension to the Collective Bargaining Agreement were the key topics of discussion on this week's episode of the NHL @TheRink podcast.

Co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke were joined by NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti, who is based in Washington, to go over details of the return to play plan and protocols along with the CBA extension, which ensures labor peace in the NHL through the 2025-26 season.

Gulitti, Rosen and Roarke offered their thoughts on the key points in the CBA extension, which includes the salary cap remaining at $81.5 million for next season and a return of NHL players to the Olympics in 2022 and 2026.

NHL players did not participate in the Olympics in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics after going to five straight Olympics from 1998-2014.

The co-hosts and Gulitti also dove into some details on the return to play plan, including the opening of Phase 3, training camps, on Monday, and what the next two weeks of practice could look like in the ramp up to getting to Toronto and Edmonton, the respective hub cities for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, with the Stanley Cup Qualifiers starting Aug. 1.

Rosen, Roarke and Gulitti also discussed the New Jersey Devils hiring Lindy Ruff to be their new coach and naming Tom Fitzgerald as their general manager and executive vice president.

In addition, Rosen and Roarke talked about some of the goaltending battles that will go on in training camps around the League before games begin. They also weighed in on some of the players who have opted out of the Return to Play Plan, including Calgary Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic and Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mike Green.

Finally, the co-hosts offered their probably-too-early predictions for the Stanley Cup Final, with some sleeper pick talk thrown in, too.

The podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.