While it feels like weeks ago, Renaud Lavoie noted two days ago that the NHL and NHLPA would need to get their act together within the week in order to achieve a mid-January start date. Two weeks ago, Katya said the same thing about a January 1st start date, by the way.

But better late than never that the NHL and NHLPA got out their calendars, settled their differences, and are moving forward on finalizing a January 13th start date (a Wednesday) for a 56-game schedule for the 2021 season.

37 days from now. Five weeks.

Branching out from that January 13th start date, I looked at the sporting schedule to see if there’s a hard deadline for the NHL to finish their season and playoffs. The 2021 Tokyo Winter Olympics stands out pretty clearly (and they’re on NBC!). That event opens on July 28th, meaning the Stanley Cup Playoffs will need to be done by then. If we give the tournament and maybe also the Draft eight weeks from that deadline, we land on May 28th or so as the final day for the NHL regular season. January 13th to May 28th is 135 days, giving teams the ability to play games every 2.4 days. There’s enough breathing room in there for teams to quarantine and postpone games if/when necessary.

Hopefully the Leafs can win the Canadian Division.

With the next NHL season around the corner, who is ready and who isn’t?

PPP’s Top 25 Under 25

Get ready for another T25 article today. We’ve ruined so many careers, why not a few more?

Until then, last year’s ruined careers:

Winter T25: The Unranked

Leafs Prospect! Almost Skoar!

Leafs Prospect! Skoar!

And Egor Korshkov has gotten some recognition from the Russian Men’s Team with a selection to the Channel One Cup roster. This small tournament will happen just before the WJC between December 17th and 20th.

MLSE opening their cheque books once more. Someone’s gotta pay for Nick Schmaltz’s $5.85 million for the next six years.

From The Branches