Commissioner Gary Bettman Hints at 24-Team Return for NHL

National Hockey League (NHL) Commissioner Gary Betman is looking for a return to play with 24 teams at two selected hubs.  The NHL, like most sports, halted due to a worldwide pandemic.  BetOnline continues to offer NHL futures bets.

Bettman held a virtual fireside chat Monday with sports business conference Leaders Week and confirmed the league is considering “probably eight or nine different places” that can accommodate “a dozen or so teams in one location,” according to NHL.com.

Edmonton, Alberta, Dallas, Toronto, the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota), Vancouver, British Columbia and Las Vegas are among the cities under consideration.

“Do we complete the regular season when we’re given the opportunity?” Bettman said. “Do we do an abbreviated regular season, because our competitive balance is so extraordinary, it’s hard to tell how the season would have ended? Do we go right to the playoffs and in what form? 

“And if we’re not playing in front of fans, which at least in the short term seems (likely), do we do it in a centralized location or locations? And if so, what places what might be suitable from a COVID-19 standpoint in terms of the communities that you’re in and how big the outbreak is? And what is the availability of testing? And so that requires a collaboration with our medical advisers.” 

A return-to-play plan is anticipated by week's end.

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