Flames working as if the season starts on January 1st
Salim Valji of TSN: Calgary Flames head coach Geoff Ward is moving forward as the league is telling teams there will be a 2020-21 NHL season.
“We’re moving ahead like there’s going to be ,” he said in an interview with TSN this week. “The league is definitely saying that there will be a season. So as a coach and as coaches of our team, our staff is doing an awful lot of work to make sure we’re prepared. Right now, we’re preparing as though it’s going to be January 1 until we hear otherwise.”
Ward added the Flames are preparing for the season as if it’s going to start on January 1st.
“We’re acting as if training camp is going to be December 15 and that the season is going to start January 1,” he said.
“For us, we’re getting everything in place that we need to have in place for those dates. And if it happens to be a bit of a longer wait, then we know that we’ve got all the work done and we can adjust easier that way.”
Lafreniere still an option for the World Juniors
Adam Kimelman of NHL.com: New York Rangers top pick Alexis Lafreniere remains a possibility for Team Canada at the 2021 World Junior Championships according to Hockey Canada senior VP Scott Salmond.
“There are precautions that you can put in place, in terms of that person and their quarantine responsibilities, in particular Alexis as he is in New York currently so there would be some quarantine restrictions on him to arrive into Canada,” Salmond said. “But we’re going to keep that conversation going and we’re going to look at all the different options still. I would say it’s not out of the question.”
The selection camp, players and coaches, for Team Canada are currently in a 14-day quarantine after two players tested positive.
The Rangers have said they won’t make a decision regarding Lafreniere until they know when the 2020-21 NHL season is going to start.
Lafreniere would have to be on Team Canada’s roster and with the team by December 6th. Each team will have 40 total members and must have three negative tests. The tournament gets underway on December 25th in Edmonton and runs through January 5th.