If the NHL playoffs end up happening, it looks like all the action will be north of the border.
Sportsnet reported earlier this afternoon that Edmonton and Toronto have been selected as core cities, with a formal announcement coming soon.
Other reporters have since confirmed those reports.
A #NHL team executive confirms to The Post that Toronto and Edmonton were selected as core cities.
– Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) July 1, 2020
The previously linked Sportsnet article also notes the fact that Elliotte Friedman reported that (sensibly) the Eastern Conference teams will be in Toronto and the Western Conference teams will be in Edmonton.
It remains to be seen where the final will be played.
If reports are to be believed (and when there are so many “reports,” they are rarely wrong), this appears to be a sensible NHL decision.
Frankly, large swaths of the United States are in the midst of disastrous spikes in COVID-19, and even states that are seeing encouraging trends are still a group or two from falling into the same state.
Canada appears to have a better handle on the virus, and the cities above have the conveniences necessary to support the league’s core plan.
While some will cry for lack / favoritism, without fans, there really won’t be any local ice advantage in these series. It could be argued that Leafs will feel more comfortable in their own arena, but how much impact will it really have?
Presumably, the league will still require players from home cities to stay in centers / groups / pods / whatever the rest of the teams are, so it’s not like Oilers players had the luxury of sleeping. in their own beds every night.
Overall, another step toward league restart, again with the caveat that things are smooth.
Training camps could start in just a couple of weeks, and the teams would likely end up going to their core cities before the end of the month.
