TSN: The NHL is set to open Phase 2 – opening team facilities and have limited, voluntary workouts – starting on Monday.
There are safety measures players and coaches have to adhere too – testing, wearing a mask, and receiving temperature tests, etc.
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that one of their players has tested positive. That player isn’t in Pittsburgh. He was isolated after he suffered symptoms and has since recovered. That puts the overall known number up to nine.
Each of the playoff series will be best-of-seven (play-ins are best-of-five) and will have re-seeding after each round. The players wanted the re-seeding, the NHL prefers brackets.
“We prefer as a general matter brackets for a whole host of reasons,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said last week. “We’ve told the players who have been debating it internally if they have a preference, we’re happy to abide by it.”
The top four teams of each conference will play a separate round-robin tournament to determine the top four seedings of each conference.
“Any team that is going to win five rounds, four rounds of best-of-seven … I think it will be a very worthy Stanley Cup champion and they’ll be as worthy as any team or players that won it before them,” Tavares said.
Chris Johnston: “A notable aspect of NHL’s transition to Phase 2 is the line “subject to each club’s satisfaction of all of the requirements…” Not every team is eager to open its facility Monday. Number of players in town, appointment of hygiene officer, cost, among issues being weighed.”
Chris Johnston: “The “integrity” of the playoffs was prioritized with this decision. It was important to the players. But the entire playoff tournament could last 68 days, which might pose challenges if a second wave of coronavirus hits in the fall.”
TSN: Pierre LeBrun said adding best-of-seven for every playoff round adds potentially adds seven to 10 days to the overall schedule.
“If one team has to go all the way in each round, between the play-in round and Cup final you could be talking about 33 games potentially over two months for that team.
Let’s remember this though, this is still a format agreement, there still has to be a negotiation between the NHLPA and the NHL on Phase 3, which is training camp, and Phase 4 which is the hub cities, protocols for testing and living inside the bubble, that’s going to be a very delegate negotiation and an interesting vote when the NHLPA executive board votes on it.”