It’s going to be a bit longer before the Flyers can meet for training camp.
We got good news after the playoff format was approved and an idea of when play would resume. Turns out it could be even longer before we even get training camp. The Flyers, along with the rest of the league, aren’t expect to meet until mid-July.
When the playoff format was first announced, it looked like teams would be able to start training in June. Those small groups could become a full team in early-July.
It’s now turned into mid-July with the latest announcement. And with training camp expected to be at least two-to-three weeks, we won’t see any type of games until at least the beginning of August.
Right now, the league appears to be determining how many games each round will have. The play-in round appears to be set at five games. The following rounds will be either five or seven.
Depending how long that would take, we could be in mid-to-late August before we finish the first round. Especially with teams being located in just two hub cities. How many games can the league realistically have in one day?
It’s likely they would be able to get in four each day. They could have two in each hub city with a break in between to clean and sanitize the facility.
So using the Flyers as an example, they will have at least three exhibition games to determine seeding before the first round takes place. And if the league decides on seven games, they could potentially need over a week to complete a round. That is if the series goes all seven games with days off in between.
The NHL is determined to resume the season and hand out the Stanley Cup. And they are willing to push back next season. They could start the 2020-21 season as late as January. Taking away the All-Star Game and bye-week next season are possibilities to speed up the season.
For now, the Flyers will still have their eyes set on a playoff run. It’s just going to be a bit longer before we can see that happen.