from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

As the NHL continues to work through discussions with five different provincial health authorities about its plans to stage the upcoming season, a fallback option looms in the background.

The possibility of playing entirely in the United States.

Sources say that’s the likely outcome if agreements can’t be reached to make the all-Canadian Division a reality for 2020-21.

While there’s nothing concrete to indicate that the necessary government bodies won’t eventually sign off on the NHL’s plans, that had yet to happen as of late Thursday afternoon.

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added 4:45pm,

added 6:36pm, below, watch Johnson discuss the latest on this topic.