NHL working towards August 1st restart

In a little less than a month. That's when we may get to see hockey at the highest level being played again. According to reports, August 1st is the date the league currently works towards.

Recently, there were reports of Canada getting both hub cities. The previous favourite for a hub city bid, Las Vegas, had had a virus outbreak worrying the league. The most recent rumours are Toronto as host for the Eastern Conference playoffs, and Edmonton being the host of the Western Conference, with the Stanley Cup final likely to be played in Edmonton.

Time is becoming a scarce resource however, as Phase 3, team training camps, is planned to be started in just under ten days, on July 13th. According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, an August 1st restart of play is now what the league is working towards, with teams flying in to their respective hub cities on July 26th.

All dates are tentative and highly subject to change. If getting an agreement or ratifying drags on, changes can and will be made, but it's my understanding these are target dates:
July 13: Training camps (Phase 3) open
July 26: Teams report to Hubs
Aug 1: Games begin (Phase 4)— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 3, 2020

All the dates listed are subject to change, and one of the pressing issues needing to be resolved before returning to play is finalizing a Collective Bargaining Agreement. As soon as a CBA is finalized, it is likely we will hear more from the league itself about their plans going forward.

MUST READ

8 minutes ago  |  By Vincent Carbonneau Elliotte Friedman's latest Canucks report sparks major reaction

33 minutes ago  |  By Vincent Carbonneau Insider says NHL team unwilling to help Edmonton's latest coaching plans

1 hour ago  |  By Vincent Carbonneau New Canadiens development raising concern ahead of tonight's matchup

1 hour ago  |  By Vincent Carbonneau Confirmed Oilers departure is raising eyebrows across Edmonton

2 hours ago  |  By Vincent Carbonneau Major development emerges surrounding Auston Matthews' future destination

2 hours ago  |  By Vincent Carbonneau Elliotte Friedman ignites new controversy surrounding Vancouver

3 hours ago  |  By Vincent Carbonneau The Zachary Bolduc incident has the entire NHL questioning officiating again

3 hours ago  |  By Vincent Carbonneau New Edmonton Frank Seravalli report raises serious questions about Evan Bouchard

MORE STORIES