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By now you’ve probably seen the NHL’s announcement about a return-to-play/draft lottery/playoff framework. There will be plenty to chew on in the days ahead. There’s no guarantee we’ll actually see hockey this summer, but let’s keep our fingers crossed. Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
With Tuesday’s announcement, the Devils 2019-2020 season is, mercifully, over.
#NJDevils end their regular season having played 69 games and a 28-29-12 record for 68 points. https://t.co/5TjF3qlR6i
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) May 26, 2020
John has a great breakdown of the league’s return-to-play announcement yesterday, so be sure to check that out for a good Devils-centric perspective: [All About the Jersey]
Here’s interim GM Tom Fitzgerald talking about the end of the season, the interim tag, conditional picks, a long hiatus for players and more: [NHL]
Devils draft odds:
Odds pic.twitter.com/6lCze8wqHF
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 26, 2020
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy:
UPDATE: Professional sports teams in NJ may return to training and even competition – if their leagues choose to move in that direction. We have been in constant discussions with teams about necessary protocols to protect the health and safety of players, coaches, and personnel. pic.twitter.com/yMrCFtSyqY
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) May 26, 2020
No contract for Mitch Hoelscher:
67s F Mitch Hoelscher tells @TSN1200 he does not expect to sign with the Devils by next weeks deadline https://t.co/KeNOmIB2Na
— TSN 1200 (@TSN1200) May 25, 2020
Hockey Links
TSN’s Bob McKenzie has a good breakdown of how the draft lottery will work out. Mark those calendars for June 26. Click through to read his thread if you want even more details:
NHL Draft Lottery will be on Friday June 26. The Nos. 1, 2 and 3 picks will be up for grabs. Fifteen teams — the seven who are no longer playing plus 8 more currently identified as Teams A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H — will be in the lottery. Same lottery odds as prior years.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 26, 2020
A few other miscellaneous notes:
The NHL will be testing players every evening for coronavirus once/if we get to actual competition. Results will be available by the morning. Bettman says the NHL could conduct 25,000-30,000 test, and it's going to be expensive. "You're talking about millions of dollars."
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) May 26, 2020
So I'm told the NHL still hasn't decided yet what to do with these stats from the round-robin/play-in round. It's not really regular season, and it's not really playoffs. So it will be interesting what they decide to do with that. https://t.co/GBkK4W37hm
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 26, 2020
Couple of other notes from Return-to-Play protocol: Two exhibition games per team; 28 skaters and as many goalies as you wish to carry.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 27, 2020
Hub cities under consideration: Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Minnesota Pittsburgh, Toronto, Vancouver, Vegas.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 26, 2020
Gary Bettman says NHL training camps won’t open before July 1.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 26, 2020
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.