An NHL team official told me off the record that the plan is to start training camp Jan. 3 and launch the season in the middle of January.
An executive from a different team told me that all he knows is what he reads in media reports. He hasn't been told anything officially.
But we are going to play the 2020-21 season, or maybe it's the 2021 season. While we don't know precisely when the season will begin, we know it's only a matter of time before the final details are worked out to play a 56-game season.
What we also don't know is how much difficulty teams will have playing 56 games with the virus still surging. Based on what we are seeing in the NFL, we can guess that it will be a struggle to keep rosters virus-free.
This doesn't mean we should not play the season. What it does mean is we shouldn't be panicked, shocked or outraged every time a player tests positive. The NHL is not in a bubble this time, meaning it is up to the players to keep themselves safe. Players will become infected with the virus because it is everywhere these days.
And the NFL's situation, with teams playing one game a week, is far less complicated than the NHL schedule with teams playing three or four games a week.
Even a small COVID-19 outbreak of three or four players has the potential to impact six more games, depending upon when it happens. If a player misses 10 days, he could lose 14% of his team's schedule.
It's what everyone will have to put up with to play hockey this season. We going to start this next season at a time when the virus is spreading dramatically. Cases are climbing. The vaccine is coming, but it will be May or June before it reaches the masses. First it must go to front line medical personnel, plus the elderly and the vulnerable.
If you listen to the experts, it could be fall before we see an environment resembling normal.
Even the NHL can't be sure when we will see fans again. At some point, will the league attempt to bring in limited crowds in select cities?
That's an unknown simply because we don't know what COVID-19 is going to do over the next few months. With more than 100,000 COVID patients hospitalized and infection rates climbing, this isn't the time to invite fans back in the building.
Some states wouldn't allow fans, even if you wanted to bring in some with strict social distancing and masks.
The vaccine will be a game-changer. But this COVID-19 situation will get worse before it gets better. It will take time before the cavalry rides in for the rescue, as Dr. Anthony Fauci would say.
This season will be untidy, perhaps even a mess for some teams. Some teams are going to be hurt by the virus more than others. Your team may play some games with what resembles an AHL roster. May not be anyone's fault. Luck of the draw.
The NHL is expected to mix up the divisions this season, perhaps creating another layer of entertainment.
Be thankful, or at least glad, that we will have NHL games to watch on television. But understand that this may be a very bumpy ride all the way to the playoffs.