[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Slava

I don’t really understand why they’re delaying this. If the intent is to say “the courts cleared them, and if a teams wants to sign them we won’t stand in the way”, why make the players wait until next month and not be able to play for another couple months?

The statement from the league says pushing it out to December will make it around two years since they last played. Effectively, the league decided that their behaviour warranted two year suspensions.

“Each of the players, based on in-person meetings with the league following the verdicts, expressed regret and remorse for his actions,” the statement continue. “Nevertheless, we believe their conduct requires formal league-imposed discipline.

“Given their conduct, we carefully evaluated the players’ acquittal in court and the time spent away from the game. Taking into account that the players have been away from the game for 20 months — including since their acquittals in July — we have determined that the players will be eligible to sign an NHL contract no sooner than Oct. 15, 2025, and eligible to play in NHL games no sooner than Dec. 1, 2025, bringing their total time out of the league to nearly two years.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/652...anada-bettman/