Last season was one of the most unique in the history of the National Hockey League. #CoronaSZN halted the season in mid-March amidst the pandemic and the league waited five months to restart. It enjoyed a well-planned and successful restart with the Stanley Cup qualifier and playoff and the league also managed labor peace for another six years. Everything seemed perfect for the league to return to play next season. But now, it seems that the NHL is experiencing several problems entering the 2020-21 season. What are some of those problems?
Renewed Labor Issues
One of the first problems that the NHL is experiencing is renewed labor issues. Last week, it was revealed that the NHL and the NHLPA are running into a snag that might delay the start of the 2020-21 season. What’s the snag? Salary, which was the same issue that held up this year’s MLB season. There’s a lot of miasma that’s affecting player’s salaries. Basically, the league is asking the players to take another deferral in salary up to 10 percent. The league already asked the players to take a 16 percent deferral, so this makes it a 26 percent deferral. Yikes. Television and advertising revenue will only take the league so far. But without fans in the stands, the league might take another financial hit.
Border Patrol
The second problem the NHL is experiencing is what to do with the franchises based in Canada. Last week, the NBA announced that the Toronto Raptors would start the 2020-21 season at Amelie Arena in Tampa Bay. This comes with the prospect of the United States-Canada border closing being extended through December 21. With the #CoronaSZN never seemingly coming to an end, the border might not open until next year. This affects the seven Canadian franchises in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. Will those franchises follow the Raptors by temporarily setting up shop in a U.S. city this season? If they do, here’s where I see them:
- Montreal: Albany, NY (Times Union Center)
- Ottawa: Syracuse, NY (Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga War Memorial Arena)
- Toronto: Rochester, NY (BlueCross Arena)
- Winnipeg: Grand Forks, ND (Ralph Engelstad Arena)
- Edmonton: Oklahoma City, OK (Chesapeake Energy Arena)
- Calgary: Omaha, NE (Baxter Arena)
- Vancouver: Portland, OR (Moda Center or Veterans Memorial Coliseum)
There has also been talk of there being a separate division for the 2020-21 season of just the Canadian-based franchises only.
Minor (League) Issues
The final problem that the NHL is experiencing is their minor league franchises. #CoronaSZN has given no quarter to any of the professional minor leagues, including hockey. The American Hockey League and the East Coast Hockey League each halted their seasons in March before their respective playoffs began. Tentatively, the American Hockey League has February 4 slated for their return. The ECHL will return on December 11 with 13 teams participating in a 72-game schedule.
#ECHL and @thephpa announce a confirmed start date of Dec. 11 for the 2020-21 Season
— ECHL (@ECHL) October 9, 2020
INFO ⬇️https://t.co/zad0Q5eBk9
All six teams from their North Division (Adirondack, Brampton, Maine, Newfoundland, Reading, and Worcester) as well as Gwinnett and Norfolk announced they would suspend operations for this season. Not having minor league teams participate puts a hit on expanded player depth as well as development for players champing at the bit for their chance at the NHL.
Like every professional sports league, the NHL is experiencing similar problems going into the 2020-21 season. Hopefully, these problems will be resolved quickly and we can do that hockey soon.
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