from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

A regular “31 Thoughts” wasn’t possible this week, but I did want to contribute something. Below is an extended profile of Sean Day, a look at where things stand between the NHL and NHLPA, and Anaheim GM Bob Murray’s comments from Wednesday....

- We should see by the end of this week if the NHL and NHLPA can implement Phase 2 of the NHL’s “Return to Play” protocol. It’s not mandatory for players, and I’m not sure we’ll see too many participate. Phase 3 (training camps) is mandatory, and a huge step. It won’t begin before July 10, and there’s a lot of work to do. The playoff-structure debates got the most attention, but negotiations on the protocols were even harder, I’m told.

So you can imagine the necessary grinding for something that would be mandatory, from testing on down.

However, there are plenty of rumours that the NHL and NHLPA are working hard on a CBA extension, with multiple sources indicating there is a legit attempt to get something done by the time play resumes.

The league wants long-term stability. The players want a cap on escrow, and word is that it is being considered. If the season does not resume, their hit would be 35 per cent. Even if there are games, they are looking at 27 or 28 per cent. I heard rumblings of a 20 per cent escrow cap over the next few seasons — others said they heard slightly less.

A flat salary cap of $81.5 million for a few seasons is possible, too.

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