Gary Bettman

The NHL is coming back to ESPN. A seven-year agreement between the NHL and ESPN and the Walt Disney Company was officially announced on Wednesday afternoon that will cover television broadcasting rights and streaming rights.

Seven players from the 41-man training camp roster were placed on waivers for the purposes of going to the AHL or taxi squad that will allow the Flyers to make recalls much easier in this unprecedented season.

After weeks of negotiations and planning to conduct the 2020-21 season in the midst of a pandemic, the NHL and NHLPA officially announced their plans for the season on Sunday evening.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke in a panel discussion on Wednesday morning and said the NHL's target remains a mid-January start and talks are mainly regarding COVID-19 protocols for the season. That start date is far from certain as more time passes.

Now that it is December, where does the NHL stand in its potential return to play? Is Jan. 1 still a realistic target?

There was hope that there would be some concrete details about the upcoming NHL season, but negotiations on a return have hit a snag during the week. The players are reportedly “blindsided” by a request from the NHL owners to change the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

Where do things stand on the NHL's return for the 2020-21 season? There are plenty of ideas on the table as the target start date of Jan. 1 rapidly approaches.

Gary Bettman announced that the NHL and NHLPA have put the focus on a Jan. 1 start date for the 2020-21 season. Estimated timing for the start of training camp will be announced at a later date.

The biggest uncertainty in completing the NHL season remains COVID-19, but after the NHL and NHLPA's most collaborative labor efforts in decades, it would be a just reward if they can award the Stanley Cup.

The NHL Board of Governors and the NHLPA voted in approval to ratify a Memorandum of Understanding to the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Return to Play protocols.