LA Kings: NHL has target date in mind for training camps

Tristian Jarry and his teammates were told to prepare for a November 15 training camp. The LA Kings still await their date for a minicamp from the NHL and NHLPA.

As questions surround when the 2020-2021 season will begin, the league tentatively set a start date of December 1. But for the LA Kings and the rest of the league, a recent contract extension may have shed some further light on the situation. According to Seth Rorabaugh, who covers the Penguins for The Athletic, goalie Tristan Jarry and the Pens were told to prepare for a November 15 training camp start date.

Historically, teams’ training camps have commenced in the middle of September in preparation for games starting within the first week of October. So a November 15 start date would align with the league’s target date for the 2020-2021 season.

This news coincides with the GTHL shutting down all activities until January 4 due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in and around Toronto.

“The Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) announced today that all sanctioned activities within its jurisdiction are postponed until at least January 1, 2021 pending further advice from health authorities. The decision comes as a result of a rapid rise in the infection rate in the Greater Toronto Area and a statement from Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, Eileen de Villa, calling on the Provincial Government to prohibit indoor sports activities.”

Of course, the NHL and NHLPA have yet to finalize a minicamp for the seven teams, including the Kings, who missed the bubble playoff format. The league remains committed to an 82-game schedule for the 2020-2021 campaign, and regardless of when the season begins, there is the very likely scenario of more back-to-backs being played.

The major challenge that remains is Canada’s travel restriction from the United States, requiring 14 days to quarantine. How the NHL schedules a season to accommodate the laws remains a bit unclear, but perhaps those restrictions are loosened over the next couple of months.

Assuming a schedule can be developed, it would appear that all teams would begin at their respective venues, most likely without fans. From there, fans would slowly be integrated as the season progresses, hoping that they could hold near full capacity before the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.