Report: NHL eyes Aug. 1 return-to-play date

1.

That's according to hockey insider Bob McKenzie of TSN, who also said that,
under the plan, teams would report to their assigned hub cities on July 26.
While the NHL has not made an official announcement, McKenzie said that those
cities are expected to be Edmonton and Toronto.

While several U.S. cities were in the mix to be a hub, the Canadian cities are
the likely choice, in part because of the low rate of coronavirus cases in
Canada compared to the United States. Play in the NHL was halted on March 12
because of the pandemic.

McKenzie said the play-in qualifying series, which will be a best-of-five
event, should end in the second week of August, with a Stanley Cup champion
crowned in early October.

As for the NHL draft, McKenzie said the second part of the NHL draft lottery
-- when the team with the No. 1 overall pick will be announced -- would occur
after the qualifying series. The draft would follow soon after the conclusion
of the playoffs.

Before any of these dates can be locked in, the league and the NHL Players'
Association must reach an agreement on several key issues, including
additional return-to-play protocols and an extension of the collective
bargaining agreement. Once that is reached, the board of governors and players
must ratify the deal.

--Field Level Media