from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

NHL 2021, a season of emotional and financial recovery, kicks off on Wednesday, 10 months after the league closed the doors on the last regular season because of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid the virus’s current surge in numbers across North America, the first question will be whether the NHL, with the majority of its 31 arenas still closed to the public, can keep all of its teams healthy and able to complete a 56-game schedule (trimmed from 82), followed by a four-round playoff season scheduled to conclude no later than July 9.

Hope for the best but expect some bumps. In the meantime, here is a “starting six” collection of story lines to follow in the new season:

- Alexis Lafreniere — Manhattan’s famed midtown theaters remain dark, leaving the Blueshirts to command the Broadway spotlight with their newbie leading man.

continued plus additional, pertinent topics...