NHL not in a rush to name hub cities
TSN: Darren Dreger said the NHL is not in a rush to decide on hub cities. They are likely leaning to two hub cities, with Vancouver, Toronto and Edmonton as Canadian options. Edmonton, and the province of Alberta are pushing for it. Vegas is also a strong candidate.
“To give players an indication of what they can expect, if Vegas is a frontrunner as most believe, in July and August, it’s 40-plus degrees Celsius in Vegas. It’s really hot. It’s not that in Edmonton. It’s 20-25 degrees. So, maybe they secure a golf course for the players. They’ve got the ice district, so they’ve got huge big screen outdoors. They can watch their games. They could watch movies. Indoor screens at Ford Hall. At Rogers Arena, they have 12 separate dining areas for the individual teams. So there’s a whole lot of work that’s continuing to make this a reality in Edmonton.”
NHL still has the closed border issue
Chris Johnston of Sportsnet: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said they are “hopeful” the border closure between Canada and the U.S. won’t “materially affect the resumption of play timelines we are currently contemplating.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that the border will remain closed through June 21st for non-essential travel.
It’s not known if the NHL players and staff could be exempt if traveling to a hub city.
Questions about the draft lottery with the playoff format
TSN: Bob McKenzie said there are questions about the draft lottery with the proposed 24-team playoff format.
“You’ve got seven teams that are not in this 24-team format. What about the Montreal Canadiens? If they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins are they still in the draft lottery? Or does Pittsburgh go to the draft lottery? That’s a question a lot of GMs want an answer for.”