from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

With the ball now rolling, they could be playing real live NHL games again in two months.

At least that loomed as the distant hoped-for outcome as the league took a step forward Monday by transitioning to the next phase of its return-to-play protocol.

Nothing has happened quickly since the season was paused March 12 and this is no different: Phase 2, which sees team facilities opened for voluntary small-group workouts, began with just a handful of clubs taking part.

That should grow to roughly two-thirds of the 24 teams tabbed for a potential restart by the end of the week, and will include all of them well in advance of mandatory training camps getting underway — something that won’t happen before July 10.

The truth of the matter is there’s still no ironclad guarantee we get that far. The NHL and NHL Players’ Association haven’t signed off any protocol covering Phase 3, much less established a date for camps to start, and are engaged in discussions on a potential extension of the collective bargaining agreement, which may or may not be needed to see the 2019-20 season concluded amid a pandemic.

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