NHL still hellbent on Jan. 13 start for 2020-21 with everything still on table

Another day, another update on the 2020-21 NHL season.

We did a deep dive into everything you need to know about the 2020-21 NHL season the other day, which you can read here, but we already have a swathe of fresh information to sink our teeth into.

With Jan. 13, 2021 fast approaching, the National Hockey League and Commissioner Gary Bettman are still ironing out a number of issues to ensure that the 2020-21 season can be staged, and be staged successfully.

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However, as we mapped out in our wide-range look at the current state of play, the roadmap to getting the new season off the ground in just a few weeks is fraught with complications and landmines.

As such, both the NHL and the NHLPA are in a race against time and given that next week is Christmas, you can be forgiven for doubting that a Jan. 13 start is even feasible at this point.

However, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, both the NHL and the NHLPA feel that their target start date is still within reach and both sides are currently working day and night to complete the relevant documents.

As you can see in the Tweet below, a number of votes will have to be passed once everything is agreed upon, so things will have to move incredibly quickly if we are to get the NHL back in the second week of January.

Now, interestingly, Bettman said in an interview with nhl.com on Wednesday that they are still hopeful of starting in mid-January, which means that there is potential for opening night to be pushed back another week.

Granted, a 56-game schedule will allow the NHL to crown a Stanley Cup Champion by the time the Tokyo Olympics air on NBC on July 23, although the league will also need to set some time aside at the end of the regular season for any postponed games due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, which is still looming large over everything and anything.

Bettman also revealed that playing inside Bubbles, as was the case for the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoffs, is still very much on the table with the Pandemic currently dictating terms at all times.

With certain states like California banning contact sports, teams like the San Jose Sharks may have to be moved into a temporary home and that was mentioned as a possibility by Bettman:

"“We don’t think we can conduct an entire regular season that way (inside a Bubble). But circumstances, depending on where COVID is spiking and where the medical system is being taxed at any given time, may require us to adjust. So, for example, we have a couple of clubs that can’t hold Training Camp or conduct games even without fans in their current buildings and facilities, and we’re going to have to move them somewhere else to play. If enough teams can’t play, again without fans, in their own facilities, then we may have to move more and more towards a hub. It may be that some teams are playing in other buildings. It may be that a whole group of teams have to play in other buildings.”Gary Bettman via nhl.com."

So, what the Commissioner outlined there is pretty much what we already knew in terms that there are a lot of moving pieces at play here and, even once a start date is confirmed, things are liable to change.

I mean, tonight we have heard news, per Frank Seravalli of TSN, that the NHL is now considering moving all seven Canadian teams to the United States for the 2020-21 season due to the ongoing border issues.

That is just life in 2020.

The Pandemic is in charge of everything and the NHL will need to be flexible in order to ensure that the 2020-21 season lasts the distance and that they can crown a Stanley Cup Champion in 2021.

Time is hardly on their side, though, if Jan. 13, 2021 remains the target date for opening night but everything will remain firmly on the table and don’t be surprised if we get more developments late this week.

Everything and anything can change in an instant and we continue to wait with baited breath on the NHL and the NHLPA delivering us the holiday gift we all want – the return of NHL hockey and a 2020-21 season in January.

If we get our wish on Jan. 13, 2021 then great, but a lot needs to happen before then and time is rapidly running out.