from Damien Cox at the Toronto Star,

All the signs point to a league that is retreating and preparing for the worst. Players got their most recent paycheques in April, and are scheduled to get another regular paycheque on Oct. 31. That’s it until the next season begins. If and when it begins.

Bettman’s bravado aside, the NHL is facing its toughest financial challenge since the days of the World Hockey Association. That challenge was met largely because the WHA owners ran out of cash. The coronavirus, however, doesn’t have a payroll to meet. It resolutely marches on, like Sherman to the sea.

We can try to create chatter about whether Zach Bogosian will be better than Cody Ceci, how much signing Evgeny Dadonov will help Ottawa reach the salary floor, the merits of an all-Canadian division and whether Brendan Gallagher is worth the money.

But it’s really all speculation that’s more idle than ever. The bubble season was a useful and effective delaying tactic. Now, the facts on the ground can’t be avoided with a trick play.

For the foreseeable future, the coronavirus is kneeling on hockey’s neck.

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