from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times,

As expected, the NHL pushed back until Jan. 1 the anticipated start of the coming season before the ensuing one in which the Kraken will officially launch.

The 2020-21 campaign will now be played entirely in 2021 and must finish by mid-July so NHL partner NBC can broadcast the Olympic Games in Tokyo. That doesn’t leave much time to get NHL games in, while the prospect of the Kraken launching the 2021-22 season in November or December of next year seems inevitable.

Of greater concern to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is how this coming season will play out....

But when Bettman mentions things out of his control, look no further than what the Canadian government will allow. While the U.S. is all over the map in terms of sports and pandemic restrictions – while also leading the planet in COVID-19 cases and deaths – Canada has been much tougher and is still tightening rules amid a feared “second wave” of outbreaks.

That’s a big deal because the 31-team NHL has seven Canadian squads. Forget about fans in arenas for a minute; Bettman knows his American teams likely won’t be allowed across the border for non-bubble play come January....

At best, it appears to be looking at starting the season with short-term regional bubble zones in Canada and the U.S., where a bunch of games can be played early on by teams within their respective countries without crossing borders. It’s also possible Canadian teams could temporarily relocate to U.S. cities, though that appears less likely.

Remember, the Canadian NHL presence isn’t like the Blue Jays being a lone MLB representative. Canadian teams form roughly a quarter of the NHL, Canadian players are its largest demographic and Canadian television revenue is bigger than what the NBC deal generates.

So, the league is taking a wait-and-see approach. It will likely start in bubbles, hoping new cases subside and there’s more vaccine progress that could allow some arena attendance later.

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