from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

Andrews said the AHL has instead been focused on contingency planning for the 2020-21 season, ahead of former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson taking over as CEO on July 1.

“We’re actively building our 2020-21 schedule using the typical October to April timeframe. We hope to put that on the board by mid-July,” Andrews said. “But we’re also modelling later starts in November, December and January with shorter schedules so we can go to the teams with models.”

That is the key question every NHL team is asking: What happens if the AHL is not ready to begin the 2020-21 season?

While the NHL may be willing to play without fans in the building, the AHL simply does not have a viable source of external revenue streams for franchises to operate without the gate produced by ticket sales, concessions, parking and merchandise.

Even if NHL teams roster 30 players instead of the usual maximum of 23, a likely target given the ongoing pandemic and health concerns, teams still want to know where and how the rest of their prospects will continue to develop.

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