from Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic,

The NHL is awaiting word from the NHL Players’ Association on the latest version of a return to play format, sources said on Thursday.

The NHLPA’s Executive Board had a call scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Thursday to discuss the 24-team format. Will that call lead to an actual vote on Thursday night? Or, will the 31 player reps on the board ask for more time to discuss the proposal further with their respective teammates? Or possibly still, will the board instruct the players on the Return to Play Committee to go back to the league with more format tweaks? According to sources, all three are a legitimate possibility.

An executive board vote could also be held during the weekend unless the board felt the proposal required a full league-wide players vote, which would take more time.

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