What should we prepare for in a drastically different 2020-21 NHL season?

Right now, the focus for Gary Bettman and Co. is to put a bow on a revamped Stanley Cup Playoffs that has been nothing short of a success — especially when examining the outlook of this NHL campaign back in March/April. 

Despite the logistical nightmare that came with starting a drastically new playoff slate from scratch in the midst of a pandemic, the 2020 Stanley Cup Final will put an end to a nine-week  showcase of playoff action that featured 24 teams entering bubble environments up in Toronto and Edmonton — with no positive COVID-19 tests to report (so far). 

"A key element of the protocols was the daily testing regimen of all who were admitted to our bubbles," Bettman said in his annual Cup Final press conference this weekend. "To date, we have conducted more than 31,000 covid tests on our teams without one positive result. This is another testament to the professionalism and commitment of our players and staffs."

But in just a few weeks, this bizarre 2019-20 season will finally be in the rearview mirror — signaling the beginning of a 2020-21 campaign clouded with perhaps even more doubt that this current league year that the NHL somehow managed to conclude. 

Just six days after the latest possible date for the Stanley Cup Final (Sept. 30), the league calendar will officially flip to the next campaign — with the first round of the NHL Draft scheduled for Oct. 6. Just a few days later, free agency will commence at noon on Oct. 9, although buyouts can begin as early as Sept. 25. 

But beyond a few critical dates at the outset of this uncertain offseason, there's still plenty up in the air in regards to just what we all should expect from the NHL for this upcoming 2020-21 season. As expected, the schedule has been turned on its head due to the months-long COVID pause in the spring, with the tentative date for a return to games set for December 1st — preceded by the start of training camps midway through November.

But during his presser on Saturday afternoon, Bettman conceded that said start date could very well be pushed back — as the NHL begins to lay the groundwork for another challenging campaign beset by closed borders, financial hardship, attendance restrictions and above all else, the still ever-present threat of the pandemic.

Here are a few takeaways from Bettman's presser in regards to what lies ahead for the NHL in 2020-21:



A starting date in late December/early January?

While Dec. 1 was the date thrown out earlier during this "Return to Play" phase as a potential start to the new season, Bettman was quick to note on Saturday that penciling anything in is foolhardy at this point — given how volatile the current COVID climate is when it comes to setting any future plans in motion. As such, if these current travel restrictions / testing infrastructure doesn't improve by November, the NHL could very well wait things out a bit more and start later in the year.

"Anything that anybody suggests or reads or writes or commentates about next season is nothing more than speculation," Bettman said. "We're still focused on getting through the conclusion of the 19-20 season. Obviously, we've started informally thinking about what optionality is. December 1 has always been a notional date — I will not be surprised if it slips into later December, it could slip into January. But there's no point right now and making any definitive comments on our plans. Because there's still too much we don't know.

"Nobody can tell me whether or not the border between Canada and the United States is going to be open by a certain date, nobody can tell me what the state of COVID-19 is going to be. Nobody can tell me whether or not our arenas will be able to have either socially distanced or fully occupied buildings. And we're gonna have to do the same thing we did to get ready for the return to play, explore all the options, be flexible and agile enough to implement when the appropriate time comes."

A full season is still the current goal: 

Even with a later start date, Bettman still expects the NHL to play a full 82-game schedule next season — a challenge, to say the least, given the toll that such an extended (and likely compressed) slate of games will have on players.

"I anticipate playing a full season next season. 82 games, full playoffs, how and when we do that is something that we don't all have enough information to make any decisions and anything would just be sheer speculation," Bettman said. "Our goal is to get back to his greatest sense of normalcy as possible, under whatever circumstances are presented."

Yes, a return to the same old 82-game schedule would signal a return to normalcy, but certain concessions are going to have to be made in order to satisfy all parties when the NHL finally does resume operations. Add in the fact that Bettman added that the league wants to avoid playing in the summer months (especially with NBC set to broadcast the rescheduled 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo starting in late July), and it seems like all but a given that 82 games will not be a reality next season (unless you want an absurd amount of back-to-back games and decimated rosters come the playoffs).

"My preference would be to stay out of summer as much as possible," Bettman said. "Our fans typically like watching us through the fall, winter and into the spring. And it's always been a goal to be done by the end of June. Playing, you know, late July, August or September is something that was important to do now. And if we can avoid it, we will. But again, it's premature to have an answer to that question other than we understand the issue and we're going to try and deal with it as best we can."

No playoff expansions: 

Don't expect any major tinkering to the traditional Stanley Cup Playoffs format (aside from maybe an augmented starting date), as Bettman added that this expanded 24-team field this postseason was a byproduct of a regular season cut short with plenty of teams on the playoff bubble — rather than a pilot study used to gauge interest in a larger playoff bracket.

"I've never been a fan of expanding the playoffs," Bettman said. "And when this is all over, and I have a chance to really digest and debrief, we'll do that. We played a lot of games, I still believe that our competitive balance in our regular season is the strongest in all sports. And so it will take a fair amount of convincing to me at least that we need to be making a change. I think what we did this year, we needed to do to be fair to the clubs that were on the bubble — different bubble than this (Edmonton) bubble — the bubble in terms of making the playoffs. And I think we did the right thing in that regard. But I'm not sure that that's necessarily a prototype for the future. In fact, I still believe that what we have in a normal year is the right way to go."

No fans in seats will cause financial issues:

While Bettman noted that all 31 NHL clubs have "never been stronger and healthier" as far as their operating outlook is concerned, that notion is set to be put to the test in the coming months, especially if fans are not given clearance to watch games in person. Unlike other sports leagues that draw a significant portion of their revenue from TV and other broadcasting deals, gate revenue plays a major role in the NHL (and especially the AHL's) financial health. If fans are still on the outside looking in by the time a new season begins in late December/early January, many teams could be facing a tough road ahead. 

"While nobody has any revenue coming in right now, owners are obviously writing checks to cover overhead and expenses," Bettman said. "Our franchises will get through this and will come out stronger on the other side. Yes, there'll be a revenue hit, it's no secret that attendance directly or indirectly impacts at least 50% of our revenues. And on whatever basis, we may or may not be able to have fans in our buildings, which by the way, as (Deputy Commissioner) Bill (Daly) indicated, is something that may be well beyond our control in terms of local government regulations. That will determine how much the shortfall is off of where we were in off of where we were projecting. So again, while we know it'll be less we know there's a substantial revenue impact. I'm comfortable that our franchises will be strong enough to weather this."

Of course, there stands a chance that more revenue could pour in as restrictions are eased and more fans are gradually allowed back into arenas as the season moves along. While it would seem unlikely that we'll have packed barns by the spring, Bettman noted that there's a possibility of restrictions gradually being lifted Of course, if there's no guarantee of any number of fans being allowed entry to games in November/December/January, the NHL could wait it out until such measures are safe enough to be taken.

It will all come down to state and other government ordinances, but just because a team like the Bruins open the 2020-21 season (whenever that is) in an empty TD Garden this winter — it doesn't necessarily mean such will be the case a few months down the road in the postseason.

Perhaps that's looking at an awful situation in rose-colored glasses, but at this point — all options still remain on the table.

"How we start — that doesn't necessarily relate to how we're going to finish," Bettman said. "So if we're going to speculate, and this is pure speculation, I'm just throwing it out there as a random thought. It's conceivable that we start without fans, that we move to socially distant fans at some point. And by some point in time, maybe our buildings are open. I'm not saying that's the case. But if you're thinking through all of the conceivable possibilities, there's full, there's empty, there's a combination. And again, how we start doesn't necessarily mean that's how we have to finish."