I figured it would make more sense to have a non-Gameday thread since we apparently won’t have an actual game tonight, or for the foreseeable future for that matter.
There’s obviously a lot to take in with this decision, but the initial indications are that the League is optimistically preparing teams to play into as late as July. I say optimistically because that suggests that the spread of COVID-19 will abate in the next four-to-six weeks. I really don’t know if anyone knows that for certain, but for sure the League will want to conclude the season by mid-summer in order to leave time for a regular offseason schedule (the Entry Draft, free agency, training camps and preseason) prior to the anticipated September/October start of the 2020-21 season.
There’s also a lot we don’t know at this point, as simple as when or even if the League will resume the 2019-20 season. If they do resume, will they have any more regular season games? Will they just start the playoffs? Will they abbreviate the postseason? If they start the playoffs, how do they decide who plays? Will the Penguins luck out and get Jake Guentzel back by then? (Important stuff to know!)
For the time being, reports suggest that the League is planning a “short pause”, whatever “short” can possibly mean. I really don’t expect them to resume play before April – just a hunch – and that’s almost three weeks. Will players be allowed to continue practicing? Will training facilities be open? So many questions.
For now, we’ll keep an eye out for updates, and maybe we’ll be able to fill this space with plenty of crap until we get back to action. As always, if you feel like writing anything and you haven’t before, let us (myself, Rad88, SouthSideGeno) know and we’ll be happy to give your writing a spot to be read. Until we know what’s happening, now we play the waiting game.
