The NHL will resume its season on Saturday with an unprecedented configuration of 24 teams and two hub cities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Day hockey will be one thing: the action begins at noon ET between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers.
Here are the biggest questions as we approach the restart:
1. Will this work? The NHL will use two hub cities in Canada: Toronto for 12 Eastern Conference teams and Edmonton, Alberta, for 12 Western Conference teams. Players who qualify for the Stanley Cup Final will live in this bubble, quarantined for two months. The earliest they’ll be able to see their immediate family is during the conference finals in Edmonton. Major League Baseball already warned of how things could go wrong when at least 16 Marlins players and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19, postponing games. But the bubble has largely worked in the NWSL and MLS. If there is an outbreak in the NHL, how much is too much and when will the resumption of the season simply be canceled? – Jimmy Hascup
NHL Power Rankings:With 24 teams remaining in the field, here are the Stanley Cup favorites when the league resumes
2. Is everyone on a level playing field or will talent win out? They say you should give up on the regular season once the playoffs start. That’s how the Columbus Blue Jackets managed to sweep the record-tying Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round last season. But this saying is even more true this season. The 4 1/2 month break is longer than a normal NHL offseason, and teams had a short training camp and exhibition game to shake off some rust. Lucky bounces could play a big role in the best-of-five qualifying round series. But the NHL helped the best teams of the regular season by exempting them from this round. Instead, they will have three games against other top teams to determine their seeding and work on their timing, while their first-round opponents will have tougher, potentially longer series. There is no bracket, so the best team will play the lowest seed, etc. Once the regular four-round playoffs begin, talent differences could play a bigger role. -Mike Brehm
3. Do older or younger teams have an advantage? There are several theories floating around on the subject, and the answer somewhat depends on who you ask. On the one hand, young teams – like the Colorado Avalanche and Hurricanes – are supposed to have “fresh legs,” which theoretically gives them the ability to hit the ice at full speed given the rise time in limited power. In this scenario, it stands to reason that older teams would struggle to do the same. But the flip side is that clubs with older core players – including the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins – have experience that will help them navigate the playoffs. Prolonged layoffs have apparently also given older age groups a chance to recharge their batteries. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a war of attrition, but getting into it after an extended break has allowed many people to recover from significant injuries. – Jace Evans
4. Which lower level team will make a run? In a normal year, 16 teams make the playoffs. This year, the league expanded the number of playoff teams (including qualifying rounds) to 24. The Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks in the West and the Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and New York Islanders in the East. would not have been eligible in a standard playoff series. There is no playoff hockey without chaos. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine at least one of these teams pulling off several upsets. -Hascup
5. Can Canada end its championship drought? The Stanley Cup will be presented in a Canadian city (Edmonton), but will a Canadian team win it? This hasn’t happened since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. Last season, all three Canadian teams lost in the first round. There are six teams this year, but all will have to advance through the qualifying round, and Winnipeg and Calgary will face off. Toronto and Edmonton play in their home arenas, but there is no real on-ice advantage without fans. Toronto’s defensive numbers are weak and high-flying Oilers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have only won one round together in the playoffs. Vancouver’s core is young, Calgary might not get past Winnipeg and Montreal will face a tough opponent in the qualifying round in Pittsburgh. Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck is a Vezina Trophy finalist, and the Jets reached the conference final two years ago. But the odds remain in favor of another victory for the American team. -Brehm
6. Can the St. Louis Blues repeat? History says no. The Penguins did it in 2016 and 2017, but it was the first time since the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings. The Washington Capitals, 2018 champions, were eliminated in the first round last season. The Stanley Cup champions face a short offseason, then 82 games of every team trying to eliminate you. This is why the break was good for the Blues. They had the necessary rest, as well as the return of Vladimir Tarasenko from injury. They played well enough to earn a bye. Most of last year’s team remained and they made up for the loss of defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (heart) by acquiring Marco Scandella before the trade deadline. -Brehm
7. Will we see tanking in the qualifying round? Players in every sport are not the ones looking for a draft pick. They try their best…but sometimes teams aren’t able to succeed. The reason we bring this concept up among our playoff questions is because the losers of the “qualifying round” added this year have a chance at a wonderful consolation prize: the top pick in the NHL draft. While coaches and league executives will almost surely do their best with a chance to win a championship in a very open sport at stake… a 12.5% chance against phenom Alexis Lafreniere makes the immediate rebound a a little less heartbreaking. than usual. -Evans
