On Tuesday, the National Hockey League released a couple of updates on how the upcoming hockey season will be played amid the coronavirus. The Flyers could potentially see fewer games played.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the league and teams are exploring several options to make the upcoming season safe, and that could mean the Flyers and all other teams could see a reduced schedule among many other changes.
One thing that is known for certain is that the upcoming season will not be played in a bubble at one set location, Bettman confirmed on Tuesday night. This is key as nobody wants to play a full hockey season in a bubble.
"“It’s not going to be quite as effective as a bubble, but we think we can, if we go this route, minimize the risks to the extent practical and sensible. And so that’s one of the things that we’re talking about”, Bettman said Tuesday."
The league is looking to set a temporary realignment of the four divisions the NHL currently has. Philadelphia plays in the metropolitan division along with seven other teams.
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The temporary realignment would only last for the duration of the upcoming hockey season and be reset back to the original state following the conclusion of the season, should the coronavirus disease be contained by then.
With realigning the divisions, teams would now travel shorter distances than usual during a regular season.
Bettman says that, should teams play games from their own arena, teams will be able to determine if fan attendance is allowed in accordance with local laws.
Currently, the City of Philadelphia has banned all mass gatherings, so it is unlikely the Flyers will host fans at least to start the season.
While nothing is set in stone yet, it seems like the league is finally getting the show on the road and exploring several possibilities.