The NHL and players' association reached a memorandum of understanding on a return-to-play plan and a four-year extension of the current collective bargaining agreement, the league announced Monday.

The deal must now be ratified by the NHL's board of governors and the union's executive board followed by the full NHLPA membership. If ratified, the CBA will run through the 2025-26 campaign. The review and approval process will take place over the next few days, the league adds.

Training camps will begin July 13, and teams will travel to their respective hub cities July 26 before the qualifying round starts Aug. 1.

Edmonton and Toronto are expected to be named the hub cities, with the former reportedly hosting the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final.

The following details of the tentative agreement were reported by TSN's Frank Seravalli on Saturday:

• Any player wishing to opt out of the league's return plan can do so without facing any discipline.
• The salary cap upper limit will be frozen at $81.5 million until hockey-related revenue hits $4.8 billion - the amount projected for the current season before the pandemic.
• NHLers will participate in the Beijing (2022) and Milan (2026) Olympics pending an agreement with the IOC.
• Escrow for players will be capped at 20% next season, and that total will dip to 6% by 2025-26.
• Players will defer 10% of salary and signing bonuses next season, which will be paid back in three installments in 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26.
• All no-trade and no-move clauses will follow players to their new teams if they are dealt, even if the clause hasn't kicked in yet.

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Nine NHL players have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past seven days, the league announced Monday.

Eight players who reported for voluntary workouts in Phase 2 of the league's return-to-play plan have had results come back positive, as has one player who did not report.

A total of 35 players have tested positive since Phase 2 began on June 8. There have been 23 positive results from over 2,900 tests administered to players who reported for workouts after 15 players tested positive last week. Twelve players who did not report have also tested positive.

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With Olympic participation reportedly included in the NHL and NHLPA's modified collective bargaining agreement, it's time for hockey fans to think about what the tournament may look like. This edition forecasts Team Sweden's roster.

The Swedes have performed relatively well in Olympic Games involving NHL players. Canada has won three of the last four gold medals (2014, 2010, 2002), but Sweden was victorious in 2006 and grabbed silver in 2014.

Others in this series:
Canada
USA
Finland
Czech Republic - July 10
Russia - July 12

Sweden

Head coach: Rikard Gronborg

Gronborg led Tre Kronor to back-to-back gold medals at the 2017 and 2018 World Championships. He's even made some noise about becoming the NHL's first European head coach in nearly 20 years.

Forwards

(All ages as of February 2022)

Extra: Adrian Kempe (25)

This would arguably be Sweden's deepest group of forwards since the 2006 team. The timing is excellent, too, as the majority of these players will be in their primes in 2022. Backstrom is an exception, but the intelligent playmaker should age gracefully, and Zibanejad and Pettersson would be able to shoulder the load down the middle of the ice.

The last three spots were tough decisions. Burakovsky's combination of size and speed - along with his breakout season with the Colorado Avalanche - earned him a position. Wanting to take a defensive center, we project Eriksson Ek will be more effective in that role than Mikael Backlund in 2022. Continuing with the youth movement, Kempe earned a job over veteran wingers like Jakob Silfverberg and Gustav Nyquist.

Just missed the cut: Backlund (32), Silfverberg (31), Nyquist (32), Jesper Bratt (23), Calle Jarnkrok (30)

Defense

Extra: Oscar Klefbom (28)

While the forwards are impressive, Sweden's blue line remains its bread and butter. It's arguably the best group of any nation. Injuries have slowed down Karlsson, but he can still be a difference-maker if healthy. Hedman, Klingberg, and Dahlin were all locks, but we could've gone in many directions for the last four spots.

Brodin and Lindholm aren't flashy and don't get much media attention, but they're two of the best defensive rearguards in the game. The shutdown pairing complements the dynamic top four very nicely.

Chicago Blackhawks phenom Adam Boqvist could force his way on this team with a hot start next season - and it helps that he's right-handed - but he came up just short with so much experience available elsewhere.

Just missed the cut: Boqvist (21), Mattias Ekholm (31), Niklas Hjalmarsson (34), Adam Larsson (29)

Goaltending

Extra: Linus Ullmark (28)

It's a passing of the torch in Sweden's goal. Henrik Lundqvist will be 39 for this tournament, so he wasn't a legitimate consideration. But the Swedes are still in good shape. Lehner is one of the best goalies in the NHL, and Markstrom, who just had his best season, isn't too far behind.

Ullmark is coming off a breakout year and could contend for the backup role.

Just missed the cut: None

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The NHL and players' association have finalized a tentative agreement on return-to-play protocols for Phases 3 and 4, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The two sides continue to work on the details of a new collective bargaining agreement. It was reported Saturday that the new CBA will run for six years.

Both the return-to-play and CBA agreements will need to be ratified by the league's board of governors and the entire NHLPA, McKenzie reports. Players will have 72 hours to vote.

Some of the details in the tentative agreement include a limit of 30 skaters in Phase 3 (training camps) with an unlimited number of goalies. Only players eligible to play in the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign will be permitted to skate in Phase 3, according to McKenzie.

Players who wish to opt out may do so without penalty but must notify their club by 5 p.m. ET on July 7. All 24 teams participating in the return must submit a list of players to the league by July 9, McKenzie adds.

Players must undergo a pre-participation medical exam, and if both the doctor administering the exam and the team's infectious disease expert determine that a player is at "substantial risk of developing a serious illness," the player will be deemed unfit to play but will be able to seek a second opinion, according to McKenzie.

All players and team personnel must be tested for the coronavirus 48 hours prior to returning to the club's training facilities and every second day after that, according to McKenzie. If the results aren't available within 24 hours, the individual won't be permitted to remain in club training facilities until they receive a negative test result.

Failing to comply with return-to-play protocols in the bubble "could lead to significant financial penalties and potentially the loss of draft picks," according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.

Personnel who are authorized to leave the bubble - either for medical reasons or personal circumstances - will be required to quarantine upon their return pending four negative tests over a four-day span, Seravalli adds. That time frame could be increased depending on location or circumstances outside the bubble.

Training camps are reportedly slated to open July 13, with teams traveling to their respective hubs by July 26 before qualifying-round games begin Aug. 1. The Stanley Cup is to be awarded in early October.

Edmonton and Toronto are reportedly the two locations that have been selected as hub cities to host the remaining games. The conference finals and Stanley Cup Final will reportedly be held in Edmonton, and family members will be permitted to enter the bubble at that point, according to Seravalli.

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