The National Hockey League and their commissioner Gary Bettman announced Tuesday that it would abandon the rest of the regular season lost to the coronavirus, and head straight into a playoff format that includes round robins and overall a 24 team playoff. The time table of the sport returning if at all has yet to be decided, as training camps would open at the earliest July 1 if they do go forth to decide a 2019-20 champion. The league had suspended their play back on March 11.
Some of the logistics as far as player safety and where to play the games are also on the table. Seven American cities are apparently being considered as front runners to host games and that includes Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and Pittsburgh. Three Canadian cities include Toronto, Vancouver, and Edmonton. Bettman said about the cities being considered, “We didn’t want to get locked in. We don’t want to go to a place where there is a lot of COVID-19 or we don’t want to go to a place where we can’t get the testing we need. There is going to be extensive testing. It must be available on wide-scale basis without obstructing local needs.” Bettman went on to say that the Canadian locations would be out totally if they don’t lift the mandatory 14 day quarantine rule. The players will continue to get daily tests even if play resumes, as the NHL has spent millions of dollars to date testing players, coaches, staff, and team personnel amid COVID-19.
Also the top four seeds in each conference would play a round robin within the same conference to decide seeding for the proposed playoff. The top seeds in the East are Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington, and Philadelphia. In the West those teams are the defending champions from St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas, and Dallas. Bettman said the format would begin with best of five series, while the Stanley Cup Final would be a traditional best of seven. The games would obviously be played without fans and even though an agreement was reached by the NHL, the NHLPA has yet to agree to it. The tournament of sorts would last late into summer and possibly into the fall, with the 2020-21 season starting late in either November or December. Below is the full listing of what the first round matchups would look like, as the round robin tournament will decide who the first round winners will face in the second round-
Eastern Conference
(5) Pittsburgh vs (12) Montreal, winner to face round robin 4 seed
(6) Carolina vs (11) NY Rangers, winner to face round robin 3 seed
(7) NY Islanders vs (10) Florida, winner to face round robin 2 seed
(8) Toronto vs (9) Columbus, winner to face round robin 1 seed
Eliminated: Buffalo, Detroit, New Jersey, Ottawa
Western Conference
(5) Edmonton vs (12) Chicago, winner to face round robin 4 seed
(6) Nashville vs (11) Arizona, winner to face round robin 3 seed
(7) Vancouver vs (10) Minnesota, winner to face round robin 2 seed
(8) Calgary vs (9) Winnipeg, winner to face round robin 1 seed
Eliminated: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose
