from Michael Traikos of the National Post,
Is the bubble coming back for the playoffs?
Players and team owners may not want it to. But after seeing what’s happened to the Vancouver Canucks in the past week, I don’t see how the league avoids it.
There’s far too much at stake.
We’re three months into the season and, while vaccination rates continue to rise, we’re still seeing players regularly added to the COVID-protocol list. We’re still seeing games postponed. We’re still seeing major disruptions.
For the most part, the NHL has rolled with the punches. But rescheduling games in the regular season is one thing. Trying to do so in the playoffs is another.
If the COVID-19 outbreak in Vancouver has showed us anything, it’s that the NHL is one outbreak away from jeopardizing the season. One player testing positive can easily multiply into 18 players in a matter of days. It’s difficult enough when that happens in the middle of a season. But try to imagine that happening in the middle of a playoff series.
What happens if Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl had to miss multiple games? What happens if it’s a starting goalie like Connor Hellebuyck? What happens if an entire team has to be shut down?
continued plus more hockey talk...
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