from Ken Campbell of The Hockey News,

The return to NHL Olympic participation and the right for players to opt out of this year’s playoffs are part of a new collective bargaining agreement and return-to-play plan that will go a long way to forging Don Fehr’s legacy with the NHL Players’ Association.

According to a source, the NHL and NHLPA have essentially reached a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and all the issues have been decided on a plan that will see them return to play in August and extend the current CBA by three years, which would guarantee labor peace until at least 2024-25. It’s not a great deal for the players and there’s a lot in there they won’t like about it. But they will likely hold their noses and overwhelmingly approve because the alternatives might be worse. In reality, the only option Fehr and the NHLPA have is to negotiate a CBA now in an environment where, as usual, the employers hold almost all the leverage.

According to a source, here is the framework of the deal that is being completed. It is subject to the approval of both the NHL’s board of governors and the players.

* The current CBA, which has two years remaining, will be extended for three years, expiring after the 2024-25 season.

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