NHL seeing a glimmer of hope
PHASE 2 OF RETURN PLAN HAS PLAYERS ON ICE LATER THIS MO NTH ... PERHAPS
Cautiously optimistic.
If you wanted to describe the feeling around the NHL following Wednesday’s memo that the league is planning Phase 2 of its transition period to completing the season, those words are as good as any.
This was a bit of good news. A glimmer of hope where one might not have been any a week ago. And yet, the declaration that players will be returning to the rink “at some point in the mid- to- late portion of May” had some exercising emotional restraint.
“You try not to get too ahead of yourself,” said Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka. “I think you’re always optimistic. But you’re also realistic about the challenges. It’s a potential way to get back playing. There’s still some hurdles.
“As of now, there’s nothing concrete. I’m not going to pretend I know what this means. There’s harder questions that are still unanswered. It doesn’t mean I’m not hopeful. Where we were a month ago to where we are today, there’s definitely positives.”
Two months have passed since the league was put on pause due to the spreading coronavirus. During that time, areas within Canada and the U. S. have seen cases of COVID- 19 — and the death toll associated with it — escalate to an alarming rate. And while the rate of infection in some areas is now starting to stabilize or even decline, there is no telling where things will be a month from now.
The NHL hopes the outlook will be better. It’s essentially telling teams and players to plan on it.
“While the precise date on which we will be able to implement a transition to ‘Phase 2’ (where players may return to small group activities in NHL club training facilities) remains tentative and as yet undetermined, we do feel that we may be able — provided we continue to trend favourably and subject to potential competitive concerns as between disparately situated markets — to move to ‘ Phase 2’ at some point in the mid- to- later portion of May,” read a memo sent to the board of governors, general managers, team presidents and players on Wednesday.
“In this regard, players and club staff who may currently be sheltering outside of the club’s home city should consider whether to return to their club cities, understanding the attendant travel restrictions and self- quarantine measures that may either be imposed by the NHL/ NHLPA or remain applicable in certain jurisdictions.”
In other words, if you’re self- isolating in Sweden, then you better start looking into flights back to North America soon.
The NHL appears to be forging ahead with its plan to finish the season, even if that means pushing back the start of 2020-21. We just don’t know what a return will look like. Or if it will happen.
There has been talk about having a three- week training camp and finishing off the regular season. There’s talk of an expanded playoff format, with games being played in four centralized locations without fans and players isolated inside hotel rooms. There’s talk of having the Stanley Cup awarded in October. But for now, all it is just talk.
“I don’t know the best way to describe it other than market preparedness for what comes next,” said Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas. “We had quite a few players call and seek what they should do. We’re trying to get clarification from federal organizations. We haven’t told players to book flights.
“Of course, we would love to finish the year. In order for us to get there, we need to get through this phase.”
Aside from possibly having players return to the practice facilities sometime in May, there were no details on Phase 2. Specifically, how will the NHL implement a league- wide return when some club cities are still seeing COVID-19 cases increase? That’s unlikely to change in the next two weeks. And while the league plans on distributing a separate memo as early as next week setting forth the framework of Phase 2, some general managers are a bit skeptical as to how it’s all going to work out.
“We’re in a holding pattern,” said one league executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It appears Phase 2 is on the horizon. But I have a problem saying it’s great news. I just don’t know enough. It’s such an unknown for everybody.”
This is how it will likely be for the next couple of weeks — if not months. It’s not that the NHL is withholding information. It’s that they are reacting to the recommendations set forth by Health Canada and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every day the news changes, good and bad.
For now, general managers are keeping their options open. And they are crossing their fingers that graduating from Phase 1 to Phase 2 could eventually lead to Phase 3: resuming the season.
“It’s certainly great news that they are looking ahead to late May,” said Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland. “Getting the email that the league is considering returning to play, it certainly sends a message to the general managers and to the players that we’re probably going to ramp things a little bit. But what does that mean? What is ramping up? That’s what we’re trying to figure out. When do the players need to get back to Edmonton?
“There’s no hard date, but it gives us hope that everything is getting back to normal.”