Photo: NHL.com
The NHL does not know when it will resume the 2019-20 season after it was paused last Thursday due to the coronavirus outbreak. But Sportsnet’s Elliotte Freidman said in his weekly “31 Thoughts” column that the league has two goals in mind.
“Okay, so when it comes to the possibilities for playing again, here are a couple of things that are important to the NHL: 1) awarding a Stanley Cup this year, and 2) ensuring a full 82-game season next year. As we sit here on March 18, we have no idea if these things are going to be possible, but those are the targets,” Freidman wrote.
The NHL has no timetable to resume the season but the CDC recommended that no mass gatherings of at least 50 people be held for eight weeks at minimum, which would mean the earliest possible return for the NHL would be around May 10.
The NHL players proposed a plan earlier this week that would see a mini training camp open at the beginning of July, the rest of the regular season finish in late July, the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs taking place from August to September, the 2020 NHL Draft and free agency occurring in October, and the 2020-21 season starting up in November. It has been reported that the NHL is considering that and all other options.
By Harrison Brown
The players’ proposal gets the playoffs and “next season” too close together. And would also mean that next year’s Stanley Cup Final is played in July.