Mark your calendars, NHL fans.
With Phase 3 of the league’s return to play plan set to begin next week, more dates are being revealed for the 2019-20 Stanley Cup playoffs.
TSN’s Frank Seravalli and Hockey Night In Canada’s Elliotte Friedman reported some key dates for the summer and fall. Friedman reported the Stanley Cup Final dates:
Stanley Cup Final: Sept. 20-Oct. 2, at latest
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 8, 2020
Seravalli, meanwhile, laid out the timeline for next season, including the beginning of free agency and the start of the 2020-21 season.
#NHL tentative RTP schedule:
? July 24: Travel to hubs
? July 25: Exhibition games
? July 30: Qualif. round begins
? Aug. 9: First round of playoffs begins
? Aug. 23: Second round begins
? Sept. 6: Conf Finals begin
? Sept. 20: SCF begins
? Oct. 2: Last poss. game of SCF— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 8, 2020
Tentative dates listed in #NHL and #NHLPA Memorandum of Understanding:
?Later of Oct. 9 or 7 days after Cup Final ends is opening of #FreeAgentFrenzy
? Nov. 17: Opening of training camps for 2020-21
? Dec. 1: Opening of 2020-21 regular season
All subject to change.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 8, 2020
It doesn’t come as a surprise that next year could be happening later than usual. COVID-19 will have paused the NHL for nearly five months once play resumes. Plus, NHL commissioner Gary Betman said in April a December start was “under consideration.”
Seravalli also reported the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifying Round Games will count as part of the postseason statistics.
