The NHL has been paused for almost two months now, and many questions remain what the season will look like should it return.
Of course, that includes whether the remaining 189 regular-season games will be played or if the schedule will jump right into playoffs. And one report indicates the latter.
According to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, the NHL could consider a 24-team playoff if and when the season starts up again. The tournament would be a best-of-three series.
“Global pandemic-related issues such as testing — procuring enough kits, swabs, and attendant equipment and labs to enable regular testing with rapid results — remain outstanding as the NHL and NHLPA continue to meet regularly with their own constituencies and jointly with a shared objective of crowning a 2020 Stanley Cup champion,” Brooks reported Thursday.
There’s still plenty of questions to answer, particularly about the safety of the arena and hotel staff, protocols should someone test positive and what travel will look like.
But only time will tell what will come of all of this.
