NHL must plan to keep all teams game ready

The NHL needs to find a way to keep non-playoff teams ready.

Every day, it seems we are ever so close to seeing hockey return. Today the NHL, alongside the NHLPA, announced that formal training camps are set to begin on July 10th as Phase 3 becomes the next step in what has been a prolonged plan to crown a Stanley Cup champion.

And while the teams that made this season’s 24 team postseason tournament will be getting ready for the most unique Stanley Cup Playoffs we have ever witnessed, the seven teams who did not qualify will be watching the magic unfold from their homes.

For the teams that are playing, it will be close to five months without game action, which could create problems as players quickly try to get into game shape for the long haul. While the teams in the postseason are getting the complete attention from the league, the league has an obligation to the other seven teams that are on the outside looking in.

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Due to the playoffs planning to start sometime in the month of August, there will surely be a delay to the start of the 2020-21 campaign, with even a December start under consideration.

That being said, a training camp for next year will most likely not begin until the calendar hits November. This means the teams who didn’t make the playoffs will be at a rather unfavorable disadvantage. Eight months could come and go without these players getting a taste of competition.

Having that much time off is going to make it rather difficult for these teams to escape the basements of the NHL next season. The last thing these teams need is to be given another reason to fail, and the league with nothing in place is setting their seasons up to be mediocre at best.

If you are a fan of one of those teams, first off my condolences. Secondly, do not fret because I have a plan. These teams need to play hockey prior to next season to keep themselves game ready. The top 24-teams in the league will already have their legs back while the teams at the bottom of the standings will be still half asleep from their potential eight-month hibernation.

Barring no setbacks from the novel coronavirus pandemic, the NHL should create two more host cities, one in each conference, for these teams to play exhibition games or tournament-style pay, whichever is preferred.

While it will not showcase the mental and physical grind of a Stanley Cup Playoffs, this will do wonders for those players and team staff. We all want a sense of normalcy and for these athletes to be given the ability to do their thing will not just be physically rewarding, but mentally rewarding as well.

While having two more host cities could be problematic given health concerns, if it is in fact possible, it is surely something that needs to be discussed.

Thinking about the Western Conference, the three teams that did not make it are all located in California: Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks. While California is a large state, finding a place for these games to be played should not be that challenging.

While the Eastern Conference is a bit more tricky, given the teams span from multiple regions, Jersey to Buffalo to Ottawa to Detroit, maybe a state like Pennsylvania or Maine where the number of cases has been slim to none recently would be a good fit.

While this will help players and teams, this could also be beneficial financially. While the television schedule will be tightly packed with postseason games, multiple games being played in one day, the league could work these exhibition games into the off days.

If my team was playing in a tournament, regardless if it did not count, you can bet I will be tuning in. And while baseball, if they can get the act together, and basketball will be playing during this time as well, it may not give the league the ability to do so.

Regardless if these games are on television or radio, or not on either, it should be about keeping the players in shape so that next season these teams can make strides in improving rather than taking a step back.