Canes, Rangers to play for shot at the playoffs. What we know about NHL’s return to play
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman used the word “complicated” Tuesday while explaining the details of the league’s format with 24 teams returning to play and resumption of the 2019-20 season.
There are a lot of moving parts and numerous decisions still to be made: Starting dates, hub cities, lengths of playoff series among them. That’s to be expected as the NHL grapples with how best to get back onto the ice — safely, carefully and expediently — during a global coronavirus pandemic.
One thing Hurricanes fans should know: Carolina, which opposed the 24-team format, will face the New York Rangers in a best-of-five qualifying round. The Rangers won all four games in the regular-season series.
“Obviously these are extraordinary and unprecedented times,” Bettman said. “Any plan for the resumption of play by definition cannot be perfect. “
Bettman said he believed the plan, which he called a “step back toward normalcy,” would produce competitive playoffs and worthy Stanley Cup champion. There could be hockey games, he said, by late July although with no fans at the games.
Here’s what else we know after Bettman’s announcement:
▪ The top four seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences will compete in a round-robin series to set their seeding for the opening round of the playoffs.
▪ Sixteen teams, seeded by their point percentage in the regular season, will go through best-of-five qualifying rounds to set the Stanley Cup playoff field. The Canes (38-25-5), as the sixth seed in the East, drew the No. 11 Rangers (37-28-5).
In the Eastern Conference, the top four seeds are the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers. The other Eastern qualifying rounds will have: Pittsburgh-Montreal, New York Islanders-Florida and Toronto-Columbus.
In the West, the top four teams are the 2019 Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas. The qualifying rounds: Edmonton-Chicago, Nashville-Arizona, Vancouver-Minnesota and Calgary-Winnipeg.
▪ The conference finals and Stanley Cup Final will be decided in a traditional best-of-seven series, but the length of the first and second rounds of the playoffs has yet to be determined.
▪ Two hub cities will host the games and Raleigh is not in the mix. Bettman named Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Vancouver as the 10 candidates as host cities.
One complicating factor, for everything, is a time frame. No dates have been set for the NHL draft, the start of Phase 2 and small groups of players going through voluntary workouts, the start of team training camps and the first actual hockey games. The best guess by the league is the training camps could begin by mid- to late-July.
“We anticipate playing over the summer and into the fall,” Bettman said, noting the 2020-21 season could begin as late as early January 2021.
Bettman said the qualifying rounds and first two rounds of the playoffs could be played in about a month. The plan, he added, was for the 2020-21 season to played in its entirety.
The NHL draft lottery, which has been set for June 26, could have two phases. If the top three spots in the lottery are won by three of the seven teams not in the 24-team format, there will be no second phase. If a spot is claimed by one of the eight teams losing out in the qualifying rounds, or a “placeholder” team, there would be a second phase.
The NHL draft will be held after the playoffs, at a date to be determined.
Bettman stressed that “lots of testing and testing” will be needed for the players, coaches and staffs during the pandemic. The players will be tested each day once competition begins and results known before they leave their hotel rooms the next day -- Bettman estimated 25,000 to 30,000 tests could be needed, costing millions of dollars.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said one positive test for COVID-19 would not “shut the whole process down” once the qualifying rounds and playoffs begin while conceding there could not be an outbreak.
“The health and safety of our players, coaches, essential support staff and our communities are paramount,” Bettman said. “While nothing is without risk, ensuring health and safety has been central to all of our planning so far and will remain so.
“The reason we are doing this is because our fans have told us in overwhelming numbers that they want to complete the season if at all possible. And our players and our teams are clear that they want to play and bring the season to its rightful conclusion.”
CANES-RANGERS QUALIFYING ROUND
The matchup: The NHL announced that the Hurricanes and Rangers would face off in a best-of-five qualifying round, the winner advancing to the 16-team Stanley Cup playoffs.
The site: Still to be determined. The NHL is considering 10 cities in picking two host sites.
The season series: The Rangers won all four games in the regular season, outscoring the Canes 17-9.
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 5:49 PM.
