The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association are expected to push back the June 1 entry-level contract signing deadline by one month, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger.

Both parties need more time to negotiate on the possibility of newly-signed entry level players like Alex Romanov of the Montreal Canadiens being allowed to play when and if the 2019-20 season resumes.

On Tuesday, the league announced a return to play plan involving 24 teams competing for the Stanley Cup. Many details, including series length, are still being negotiated with the players' association.

The regular season was paused on March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, one day after Rudy Gobert of the NBA’s Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19 and began a domino effect that brought the sports world to a halt.