A timeframe for the return to NHL hockey

The first steps towards a return to NHL hockey for the New York Rangers begin this week

New York Rangers players will begin informal workouts at the team’s training facility in Westchester County this week.   For many of them, it will be the first opportunity for them to get back on the ice.   Play was halted on March 12 meaning that it has been over 12 weeks of inaction.

The players who remained local during the quarantine phase of the pandemic will be the first to return as other players in North American will make their way back to the New  York region.  Only six players at a time will be permitted to use the facility meaning that they will have to do it in shifts and that will require some coordination as more players get back to this region.

Larry Brooks tweeted that Igor Shesterkin is training in Florida and will have to travel north as will Jacob Trouba who is also in Florida.

The United States has limited travel from many countries in Europe where a number of Rangers players remain since play was suspended.  They include Henrik Lundqvist, Mika Zibanejad, Kaapo Kakko, Alexandar Georgiev and Pavel Buchnevich along with potential training camp invitees Lias Andersson and Vitali Kravtsov.  Most of them have been able to skate and work out, but all of them will be subject to a 14 day quarantine when they decide to return to this country.

In all likelihood, those players will remain in Europe until there is a definite date set for Phase Three, the opening of official team training camps.

Phase Three

Phase Three will be the biggest positive step and the NHL has said that the earliest it could start would be July 10.   When that phase will begin is being negotiated between the NHL and the players union (NHLPA) and there are many health issues to be considered.

The NHL established many of the parameters they would need to follow in their protocol for Phase Two, a 22-page document that spells out everything ranging from frequency of testing and temperature checks to how often the practice facilities must be disinfected and workout clothes washed.

This phase will be at the mercy of local regulations regarding re-opening, though at this time, most teams are in locations that have begun that process.

Once all hurdles have been cleared training camps will begin.  As a frame of reference, in September the players reported to camp on Thursday, September 12 and they had physicals and on-ice testing for two days.  They then had four days of practice before they played their first preseason game in just six days on September 18.

If the training camp schedule is any indication, NHL teams could be ready for serious competition after two week of training camp.   That puts the qualifying round on target for a late July, early August start date.

Complications

While most NHL players are enthusiastic about returning to play, there have been some concerns raised about the hub city concept and what that will mean.  The league intends to choose two hub cities where teams will be based by conference and where all qualifying and round robin games will be played along with games leading up to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Some players are not happy that this means they could be in isolation and away from their families for longer than ten weeks.  There’s also the issue of what would happen if there is any kind of outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in the hub city that affects a number of players.

It’s a complicated process and the league and the NHLPA are working hard to get those issues resolved.  They have already indicated that each team will be allowed to expand their rosters to 28 players and each team will be able to bring a maximum of 50  players and support personnel to the hub city.

While all of these details are being worked out, we have to be encouraged that players who remained in the region including Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Brendan Smith and Anthony DeAngelo will be on the ice in Greenburgh, beginning the long road back to NHL hockey.