Plans to restart the season have increased the last few days. The Flyers will now be able to return to Voorhees to train shortly.
It has been a big few days around the NHL and sports as a whole. The league has begun to announce its Phase 2 steps to re-enter the season. And the Flyers themselves received great news earlier today. They will be able to return to Voorhees to train once it is possible to do so.
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
While the team plays in Philadelphia, their training facility is located in New Jersey. Therefore this would allow them to at least begin to train while the league finalizes steps to fully resume.
When that is a possibility, there are a few steps the Flyers will have to abide by to be able to train safely.
That is where Phase 2 comes into play. While the league is hoping to restart things as soon as early June, there are precautions that will be taking place.
Players will be expected to self-monitor their symptoms and temperatures before coming to their respective facilities. There may be a chance they have to self-quarantine for 14 days when traveling to their home cities.
They will also be tested two days prior to returning to the training facility. Once they arrive, players will be subject to testing again as permitted. Six players will be allowed in the facility at a time. Coaches and other personnel will be allowed to monitor the sessions from a separate location.
Players will also be able to participate in off-ice training, but must do so while abiding by social distance practices.
This is a big step in the right direction as far as resuming the season. While there is no true date for this, it is possible we could see training camps begin towards the end of June.
A few of the Flyers have been able to skate during this pause. Not including the players who have been rehabbing, Ivan Provorov has been a notable one with access to ice. Claude Giroux also had brief access as well.
With the news from Governor Murphy and the NHL, it’s looking like we could see the Flyers back on the ice in the near future.