ST. LOUIS — We now know when the Blues will hit the ice again in 2021.
On Sunday, the NHL announced the league and Players' Union had come together on a 56-game schedule for the 2021 season that will begin on Jan. 13 and conclude on May 8.
Training camps will open on Jan. 3, and there will be no preseason games.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 2021 season are planning to feature 16 teams in the traditional best-of-seven, four-round format and conclude around mid-July. The league is planning for a normal calendar for the 2021-2022 season to begin in October.
Teams will also be re-aligned for the 2021 season.
The Blues will be in the "West" division with Anaheim, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, San Jose and Las Vegas.
Each team in the East, Central and West divisions will play every other team in its division eight times. Each team in the North Division (which is all of the Canadian teams) will play every other team in its division nine or 10 times.
There is also a possibility of "neutral site" games this season.
The top four teams in each division will qualify for the playoffs.
“The National Hockey League looks forward to the opening of our 2020-21 season, especially since the Return to Play in 2019-20 was so successful in crowning a Stanley Cup champion,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “While we are well aware of the challenges ahead, as was the case last spring and summer, we are continuing to prioritize the health and safety of our participants and the communities in which we live and play. And, as was the case last spring and summer, I thank the NHLPA, particularly Executive Director Don Fehr, for working cooperatively with us to get our League back on the ice.”