Breaking down all the latest news, rumors, reports surrounding 2020-21 NHL season

Let’s fill you in on everything you need to know about the 2020-21 NHL season.

After weeks and weeks of speculation, it appears as though we will finally get a 2020-21 NHL season a couple of weeks into the New Year.

Per multiple reports and still waiting on an official announcement from the National Hockey League, the new season is expected to start on Jan. 13, 2021 and will feature a shortened 56-game schedule.

More from Puck Prose

• Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
• This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
• 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
• 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
• This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings

Given the continued chaos being caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic and reports of a dispute between the NHL and the NHLPA, a 56-game schedule is probably better than what we realistically could have hoped for and the return of hockey can’t come soon enough.

There is still a plethora of logistical points to thrash out, however, with where teams are going to play, Division Realignment and any potential changes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs all still to be revealed.

Granted, there have been a boatload of reports concerning all of the above over the last few weeks, making for a constant stream of information overload.

Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to try and round together everything you could possibly need and want to know about the 2020-21 NHL season in one handy place.

So, without further ado, let’s delve right in shall we…

Overall Roundup

Let’s start by presenting a general overview of the current state of play in regards to the 2020-21 NHL season.

Firstly, it appears certain that the NHL will start the 2020-21 season on Jan. 13, 2021 with a 56-game regular season schedule.

Multiple reports have all stated that the above is true and it seems only a matter of time until we are hit with an official announcement.

It comes following grim reports that disagreements between the NHL and the NHLPA over proposed changes to the CBA, which was only signed, sealed and delivered back in the summer, threatened to derail the 2020-21 season and cause a potential lockout.

However, both parties agreed to put their differences aside in order to make a season happen in 2020-21, and that will now be the main focus going forward with any financial issues put aside for now.

Of course, there is still a boatload of issues to sort out and a swathe of kinks to be ironed out, but we’re heading in the right direction and it does feel as though we are finally on the cusp of the NHL being back.

Which is incredibly good news and a hell of an early holiday gift.

So, with the 2020-21 season slated to begin on Jan. 13, 2021, it is likely that Training Camps will open on Jan. 1 with players who have been abroad starting to make their way back to the United States already in preparation to get back to work.

There’s no word yet on whether or not teams will play a preseason schedule but, if they do, it is likely to only be one or two games, while those seven teams who were not involved in the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoffs could also be allowed to start Training Camp slightly earlier in order to blow off the mass of cobwebs they have amassed since the 2019-20 regular season was halted in March.

Also, we have no idea how the NHL will approach Opening Night on Jan. 13, 2021, but a full schedule of games would certainly provide a mouthwatering feast of hockey for those fans who have been starved of their favorite sport over the last few months.

That’s basically the crux of where we stand with the 2020-21 NHL season right now, so let’s delve into some wider issues…

COVID-19 Precautions

As great as it is that the NHL is on the cusp of a triumphant return, the threat of COVID-19 always looms large over every single facet of life.

Sports is no exception and that is probably why reports have started swirling that the NHL would be interested in securing a private batch of the COVID-19 vaccine and administering it to players.

That would obviously solve a major headache for the NHL in that if players, coaching staff and other support / front office staff all have the vaccine, then it would mean no postponements of games due to COVID-19.

With the NHL hoping to have a Stanley Cup Champion awarded by no later than July 15 due to the Tokyo Olympics beginning on NBC on July 23, postponements and natural issues caused by the Pandemic could cause major problems.

Of course, there aren’t enough vaccines to go around currently for those who really need them and, per John Shannon, a renowned hockey journalist in Canada, the NHL is adamant that they would not jump to the front of the line ahead of those who really need it.

Basically, they will wait and, if a vaccine becomes available for private purchase, then they will make their interest known but they will not take it out of the hands of those who need it more.

That would be an incredibly bad look and it would create a PR nightmare that the NHL needs to avoid.

So, in liu of a vaccine for players right now, the 2020-21 season will be fraught with challenges caused directly by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Chief among them is schedule flexibility with the NHL probably needing to set a week or two aside at the end of the regular season for any games postponed due to COVID-19.

Also, with teams expected to play in their own arenas and therefore travel for road games, although travel will be dramatically cut down due to Division Realignment, what will will the testing procedure look like?

We’ve seen both in MLB and in the NFL that travel only helps to spread COVID-19 and cause major outbreaks, so the NHL will need to have a bullet proof plan in place when it comes to testing each team throughout the 2020-21 season.

It is expected that the NHL will draw up a list of hotels for teams to stay in with the hope that staying in the same hotels will eradicate some of the risk that comes with travel in the age of a Pandemic.

Other Issues

Let’s now quickly round up a list of other potential issues facing the NHL prior to the start of the 2020-21 season on Jan. 13, 2021.

Key Dates 

How will a shortened season impact some of the most important dates on the NHL calendar? We are of course talking about the Trade Deadline, which normally happens at the midway point of the season. With only 56 games being played, when will the Trade Deadline take place and will it be impacted by COVID-19 in regards to players travelling to a new team and then having to quarantine?

That, and also dates for Free Agency and the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, are all currently being worked on and then you also have the small matter of the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft with the Seattle Kraken set to enter the league in 2021-22.

The above alone hammers home the point just how much work the NHL has to do before a puck is even dropped on Jan. 13, 2021.

Expanded Rosters

As we saw during the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Expanded Rosters and Taxi Squads are likely given the issues facing each team due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

If a bunch of players go down with the virus at once, then teams will need standby players nearby in order to call them up and put them straight on to the roster, but it is an issue still currently being worked on by the NHLPA.

Stanley Cup Playoffs

Will the Stanley Cup Playoffs look different in 2021? Will they be played inside two Bubbles again as they were in 2019-20?

To answer simply, they will more than likely look different in 2021 but exactly how is anyone’s guess at this point, coupled with the fact that a lot could change between now and April.

We do know that, per a Pierre LeBrun report on Oct. 10, the NHL will likely adopt a straight Divisional Playoff format for the 2020-21 season only, with the top seed playing the No. 4 seed, the No. 2 seed taking on the No. 3 seed in each Division and so on.

Those changes are likely because of the ongoing border issues but the NHL will likely play it by ear in relation to the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to their hope that fans will be allowed back in the stands come postseason time.

Players Opting Out

Players were allowed to opt-out during the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoffs if they were uncomfortable with playing during a Pandemic, and that is again expected to be the case for the 2020-21 season.

Whether players will still get paid if they decide to opt-out is still being worked on, among other related issues, but it is expected that the option to opt-out will be available for individuals who aren’t comfortable with playing this year.

Relocation 

While Division Realignment will help to solve travel to a certain extent, there is another problem that could rear its ugly head.

As we saw in Major League Baseball with the Toronto Blue Jays and as we are seeing in the NFL right now with the San Francisco 49ers and in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors, some NHL teams may have to relocate if certain states impose restrictions that prevent sports from happening in that particular state.

It has already impacted the San Jose Sharks after Santa Clara County banned contact sports for three weeks, meaning that the Sharks had to put an immediate stop to informal workouts.

However, it is expected that the NHL will have a number of contingency plans in place to deal with that issue should it arise, including moving teams to other NHL arenas nearby on a temporary basis.

Overall, there is a lot still to do and a lot of issues still to face, but the NHL is on the brink of a return and hopefully this guide will help get you up to speed ahead of puck drop on the 2020-21 season on Jan. 13, 2021.