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Morning, folks!
Well, that’s it. It’s over. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Champions. Good for them.
Looking ahead, TSN’s Frank Seravalli had this news this morning:
Details emerge on a preliminary "hybrid bubble" concept to potentially begin 2020-21 #NHL season:https://t.co/ewFH4AHKDB
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 28, 2020
Meetings between the NHL and its PA are forthcoming, in which the two parties are set to discuss bubble ideas including:
- a 48 or 60 game regular season
- a two weeks in-bubble, one week off rotation
- teams playing 12 games per month
- at least one bubble in Canada; potentially an all-Canadian division
- US bubble sites being in places where local/state regulations mean fans can attend
In the meantime, Ken Holland’s got a lot on his plate this week, with the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft slated for a week from now. There are a few RFAs — well, at least Ethan Bear — that require new deals, the Andreas Athanasiou problem needs a resolution, and the first team is still a few players short of really competing with a team like Tampa. Recall that their captain, Steven Stamkos, played less than three minutes in the entire playoffs and they still won. Can you even believe that? The Oilers without Connor McDavid are basically an AHL team.
Last Week in Hockey: September 28 (Copper and Blue)
Hot Links: Monday, September 28 (Copper and Blue)
Draft Week Post No. 4: 50 Words For Snow (Lowetide)
Oilers Would Benefit From Jesse Puljujarvi Return (THW)
Edmonton Oilers: Tracking The 2019 NHL Draft Results (Oil On Whyte)
With The No. 14 Overall Pick, The Edmonton Oilers Select… Jack Quinn? (Oilersnation)
Should Oilers Draft Askarov With 14th Pick? (Oilersnation)
NHL to consider concept of hybrid bubbles for 2021 season (TSN)
Lowetide: Ken Holland’s Work Week: Get Good Players, Keep Good Players (Athletic)