TORONTO -- The federal government is expected to shrink the mandatory quarantine for incoming NHL players to seven days, a senior government source tells CTV News.

According to the government source, NHL players traded to Canadian teams from United States-based teams will now only have to quarantine for seven days after the federal government and the Public Health Agency of Canada came to agreementswith provincial and local health agencies where Canada’s seven NHL franchises are located.

“It now gives Canadian general managers more time to navigate through to the April 12 trade deadline,” TSN Insider Darren Dreger said during the network’s “Insider Trading” segment on Thursday.

Under current regulations, NHL players coming from the U.S. to Canada via a trade or waiver pick up have to quarantine for 14 days like anyone else arriving to Canada from another country.

To date, there have only been a handful of cross-border trades this season and it’s believed the quarantine has played a factor in the lack of activity in the trade market.

Dozens of NHL games have been postponed this season due to outbreaks within teams or close contact with someone who tested positive. The Montreal Canadiens aren’t scheduled to play until Tuesday after one player tested positive for COVID-19.

The Canada-United States land border has been closed to non-essential travel for more than a year. For some Canadians waiting tobereunited with loved ones abroad, the news stings.

“This reeks of privilege and is very harmful and another slapshot to the face for Canadian families,” Dr. David Edward-Ooi Poon, founder of Faces of Advocacy, told CTV News.

“That extra seven days would mean a lot to Canadian families.”