Last week, the National Hockey League came out with a couple of plans. The first involved a return to play. The second is about the NHL Draft. Check out the details and NHL Odds up to date!

NHL Update – June 1^st Edition

NHL 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs

• When: TBD
• Where: TBD

NHL Stanley Cup Odds

• Boston Bruins +700
• Tampa Bay Lightning +700
• Colorado Avalanche +700
• Vegas Golden Knights +800
• Louis Blues +1100
• Philadelphia Flyers +800
• Washington Capitals +1200
• Pittsburgh Penguins +1200
• Dallas Stars +1600
• Toronto Maple Leafs +1800
• Edmonton Oilers +1800
• Nashville Predators +2500
• Vancouver Canucks +3000
• Calgary Flames +3500
• Carolina Hurricanes +3000
• New York Islanders +4000
• Winnipeg Jets +5500
• Arizona Coyotes +4000
• Minnesota Wild +5000
• New York Rangers +3750
• Florida Panthers +6250
• Columbus Blue Jackets +6600
• Chicago Blackhawks +6600
• Montreal Canadiens +8000

NHL has a plan to return

Although specific dates have yet to be determined, the league does have a plan to return to the ice.

At the heart of the plan is going straight to a 24-team playoff. The top-4 seeds in each conference will play a round-robin to determine the Round of 16 playoff seedings. Check out the top-4 squads from each conference.

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Bruins
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Washington Capitals
4. Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference

1. St. Louis Blues
2. Colorado Avalanche
3. Vegas Golden Knights
4. Dallas Stars

Eight teams from each conference would play in a qualifying round to get into the field of 16. Check out the matchups.

Eastern Conference Qualifying Round Matchups

• Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers
• New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers
• Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Western Conference Qualifying Round Matchups

• Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes
• Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild
• Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets

The National Hockey League also decided last week to play all games in a couple of host cities.

Possible host cities include Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton AB, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis / St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Vancouver

Two things could derail NHL’s Plans

A couple of things cold throw huge wrenches into the National Hockey League’s plans. First, destructive rioting and looting due to police brutality continues in the U.S.

Some of the worst rioting and looting has happened in Minneapolis / St. Paul, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Those three cities may not be in a position to host NHL games.

The second issue is the National Hockey Leagues desire to test players every day. Commissioner Gary Bettman estimated between 25,000 to 35,000 tests if the NHL resumes play.

Each test costs $125 per. That’s close to $4.4 million.

The problem isn’t so much the money. It’s the tests. Does it make sense to give 35,000 tests to hockey players when so many other places still seem to lack tests?

Plenty of people in both Canada and the U.S. may throw up a flag once they hear this idea.

Problems exist, but there’s hope

During the week, Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly appeared upbeat. The NHL handed out a few awards. They also came up with a plan for the 2020 NHL Draft.

The league has a plan in place. Counties in the U.S. continue to open while, eventually, the rioting and looting will end.

Let’s remain positive and sharpen your hockey handicapping skills. Hockey could be back before we know it.