Additional details on NHL’s key dates and rules for 2021 season

The details for the 2021 NHL season continue to roll be flushed out in pieces. There are some additional key dates and details that have come out since the initial announcement.

• Teams are going to be required to carry a third goalie at all times for the season. For the Rangers, this means Keith Kincaid will be the third goalie. It’s highly unlikely they carry prospects Adam Huska or Tyler Wall in that role.
• Entry level slides go from 10 games to 7 games. This likely won’t impact anyone on the Rangers unless Matthew Robertson impresses.
• The deadline to opt-out is December 27 for most teams, so that isn’t much time for players to decide.
• Training camp will have a max of 36 skaters and an unlimited number of goalies.
• The trade deadline will be April 12.
• The regular season is expected to end on May 8, with the playoffs beginning on May 11.
• As expected, the last possible date for the playoffs to end is July 15. This ensures NBC doesn’t have coverage conflicts with the 2021 Summer Olympics.
• The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft will be on July 21.
• The 2021 NHL Entry Draft will be from July 23-24.
• NHL free agency begins on July 28.
• It is expected that the 2021-2022 season will begin on time.

These are the details for the 2021 NHL season thus far. July is going to be a wild month.