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A vote by the NHLPA's executive committee is expected to result in the union's approval of the league's return-to-play proposal, reports TSN's Bob McKenzie.

A conference call Thursday about the proposal "got a little heated at times," and players still hold a wide range of individual views on the 24-team playoff plan, adds McKenzie.

The NHLPA executive board - comprising one player representative from each of the league's 31 teams - reportedly opened voting Thursday evening to determine whether to accept the NHL's return-to-play parameters. The board requires 18 votes to pass, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

McKenzie reported Friday that an eventual announcement of the format isn't expected to include a timetable or a list of critical dates.

The NHL has reportedly been discussing a 24-team format in which the top four clubs in each conference would receive byes but would face off against one another in a round-robin tournament to determine playoff seeding. The next-best eight teams in each conference would take part in bracketed best-of-five series to determine their subsequent postseason matchups.

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