One hurdle down & the New York Rangers are one step closer to playing again
The NHL Players Association (NHLPA) voted to approve the 24-team playoff format proposed by the NHL on Friday and that means hockey is one major step closer to resuming. With the format determined, it means the New York Rangers will play the Carolina Hurricanes in a best of five play-in series.
While they have an agreement in principal, the NHLPA statement clearly stated that there are number of issues that need to be resolved.
"“The Executive Board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has authorized further negotiations with the NHL on a 24-team return to play format to determine the winner of the 2020 Stanley Cup. Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”"
It also means that the 2019-20 season is over for seven teams including the New Jersey Devils (Ranger fans can stifle a laugh here). The seven teams will be the recipients of the longest off-season in NHL history. Whether that results in a limited Entry Draft lottery remains to be seen.
Next steps
The key questions facing the NHL now are when play will resume, where the games will be played and how they will try to prevent any outbreaks of COVID-19. While some states and provinces have already approved the resumption of sporting events, they are all susceptible to reinstatement of restrictions if the number of cases increases. There are an incredible number of health issues facing the league and players and they all have to be resolved.
With a resumption of hockey tentatively approved, the teams will have to reassemble in safe environments. Just under 20 percent of NHL players are from overseas and most returned home during the suspension of play. With limitations on travel and a risk in even trying to fly, it will be a challenge for NHL teams to get their squads together.
About the Rangers
Where the Rangers will train is a big question. While many NHL teams are in markets where they would be able to resume training in their own facilities, there are other teams, like the Blueshirt, that are in locations with greater restrictions. To maintain an even playing field, the NHL is waiting until all teams can resume practices before giving the okay for teams to assemble.
The Rangers’ practice facility is in Westchester County and it is one of the areas that is under tighter restrictions. To be honest, ice rinks are not the safest environments with the cold temperatures and enclosed spaces.
One of the issues for many NHL teams is that a prolonged postseason in a neutral quarantined location will mean players will not see their families for extended periods. For a team as young as the Rangers, this wouldn’t be as big an issue, but for the veterans, it could be a problem.
Kaapo Kakko health considerations
Kaapo Kakko has type 1 diabetes and celiac disease, a condition he discussed at length before the draft and in a profile in GQ magazine.
Celiac disease means that he has to maintain a gluten free diet, but it hasn’t hampered his ability to play NHL hockey. When it comes to COVID-19 the Celiac Disease Foundation says there have been no studies or reports suggesting patients with celiac disease are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 compared to patients without celiac disease.
According to the American Diabetes Association “People with diabetes do face a higher chance of experiencing serious complications from COVID-19. In general, people with diabetes are more likely to experience severe symptoms and complications when infected with a virus.”
Both organizations recommend that people with diabetes or celiac disease follow the CDC COVID-19 regimen and stay away from large gatherings. Clearly, a hockey tournament could be a potential health threat to someone like Kakko and the Rangers and their prized rookie will have to decide what the risk is.
Looking ahead
While the approval of the NHLPA is a major hurdle, there are still many, many issues to be resolved. What it means is that the earliest we could see NHL hockey again will be July. Considering that the playoffs usually run about two months and the league is adding an additional seven to ten days with the play-in series, it could mean the Stanley Cup will be awarded after Labor Day.
That long a season means that the NHL Entry Draft will have to be held before the playoffs are over. It also remains to be seen if the NHLPA will approve an accelerated playoff schedule with fewer days off in between games.
So many questions. So few answers. The next six weeks will be chock full of information on a daily basis and we’ll do our best to keep you in the loop, especially where it concerns the Rangers.