from TSN,

The National Hockey League appears to be set on a tentative date for puck drop on Saturday, Jan. 19.

In a memo sent out on Sunday night, the NHL suggested that its expectation is to open camps as early as Saturday en route to a 48-game schedule that will commence seven days later.

"Depending on the timing of that process, and the NHLPA's ratification process that is proceeding on a parallel track (although somewhat slower), we anticipate that Training Camps will open sometime between Saturday, January 12 and Monday, January 14," read the memo.

"We are hoping that we will be in a position to commence a 48-game NHL Regular Season beginning on Saturday, January 19 (All of these dates remain tentative at this point)."

continued

added 11:26am,

via CP24,

The NHL is most likely to play a 48-game season after its new collective bargaining agreement is ratified.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Canadian Press on Monday morning that it's looking "more and more" like that is the maximum number of games that can be fit in.

There had been some hope when the tentative deal was reached early Sunday morning that a 50-game season might also be possible.