Thursday, July 14, 2005

Time short for NHL to drop puck

By Ted Kulfan / The Detroit News

Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery

DETROIT -- The NHL is back in business.

Or at least it soon will be.

After the league and the NHL Players Association reached a tentative agreement on a six-year collective bargaining agreement Wednesday, all that's left to drop the puck is ... well, everything.

Primarily, the league's players must ratify the agreement Tuesday, followed by the same procedure from the NHL Board of Governors next Thursday.

After that, the offseason turns a bit crazy, to say the least.

• First, the league must establish a draft order for teams for the Entry Draft, tentatively scheduled for July 30 in Ottawa.

• Teams will have an opportunity to sign unsigned draft picks from 2003, as well as buy out veteran players to get under the expected salary cap of $39 million.

• Teams then embark on free agency, with more than 200 players available for the picking beginning late this month.

• Training camps are expected to begin in mid-September, but may be shorter by about four days.

And finally ... the puck drops on the 2005-06 season in early October.