NHL, NHLPA Making Significant Progress On RTP Plan, CBA Extension

We're at least one - and perhaps two or three - steps closer to the return of Predators hockey.

The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association have been working tirelessly since the pause of the 2019-20 NHL season back in March, and over the past few days, significant progress toward a return to the ice has been made.

On Monday, the NHL and NHLPA announced they'd agreed to resume play on Aug. 1, as part of protocols for Phases 3 and 4 of the League's Return to Play Plan.

Also - and just as noteworthy - the two sides announced they had agreed in principle on a memorandum of understanding for a four-year extension of the NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, through the 2025-26 season.

Then, on Tuesday evening, the NHLPA announced their executive board had approved the tentative CBA and referred it to the NHLPA Membership for a ratification vote. The voting process opened July 8, and the secret ballot vote is being collected electronically by each and every NHL player. The voting window closes on July 10, and an announcement on the results is expected to be made shortly thereafter.

Those agreements on the CBA and the RTP plans are also subject to ratification by the NHL Board of Governors.

Additional items of note that have been released over the past few days include a trio of significant dates. The first is the aforementioned Aug. 1 start date for the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. The two that will come beforehand include the proposed start of Phase 3, or formal training camps, on July 13 in each team's respective market, and the date of July 26 when teams would fly to their respective hub city.

The NHL also released the protocols for Phases 3 and 4 on Monday, detailed documents describing what life will be like for all participants involved.

From NHL.com

: "Some of the key points in the Phase 3 protocols include: rosters being limited to 30 skaters but allowing for an unlimited number of goalies per team; participation being limited to players who are eligible for the playoffs; and COVID-19 testing being required for players, team personnel and other personnel who will be in the vicinity of players (ice and building maintenance, security, etc.) 48 hours prior to returning to team facilities and every other day after that.

"Phase 4 protocols include: rosters being limited to 31 players (including goalies); a maximum of 52 individuals per team (including ownership, players, coaches, executives and staff) being permitted inside the secure zone; and daily testing, symptom checks and temperature screenings for each person.

"The teams will be housed in Phase 4 Secure Zones, which will include hotels, restaurants, practice facilities and the arena where exhibition, qualifier and postseason games will be played. Each person inside the secure zone, including players, coaches, team and NHL personnel, arena and practice facility staff, and vendors and service providers will be tested daily for COVID-19 and have symptom screening and temperature checks."

The Predators are slated to face the Arizona Coyotes in the Qualifying Round, a best-of-5 series that will see the winner advance to the official start of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs against an opponent yet to be determined.

Stay tuned to NashvillePredators.com in the days and weeks to come as more information is revealed, and get ready for what's sure to be a spectacle unlike anything we've ever seen.