According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the NHL is expecting to begin the qualifying rounds on July 30th. This date has been speculated in rumours aside from others over the past few weeks. What we learned today is that the training camp is expected to begin on July 10th. It’s expected to last around two weeks as teams will be reporting to their hub cities on July 23rd or 24th.
The announcement on the eligible hub cities is expected to be made within the next week and all 10 host cities are still in the running to win the bid to host the NHL’s return. It should also be noted that the NHL and the Canadian government have waived the 14-day quarantine for players and teams. This, however, was not expected to be an issue, but knowing that this won’t be an effect should give the NHL a few more options. The announcement comes as a bit of surprise, not only as it comes on a weekend, but after the NHL announced more COVID-19 cases across the U.S.
Teams will be allowed to carry 30 players and an unlimited amount of goaltenders for training camp. Rosters will be reduced to 28 for the tournament, but teams will still be able to carry an unlimited amount of goaltenders.
Social distancing regulations will be in effect when players are off the ice and the NHL will follow social distancing guidelines in each host city granted by the league. Players will also be tested by local health authorities every other day.