NHL Coronavirus (COVID-19) NHL Update – July 14th Edition

NHL Coronavirus (COVID-19) NHL Update – July 14th Edition

Last week, the National Hockey League took a step closer to resuming their 2019-2020 season. The NHL not only decided on their two hub cities, they also released playoff qualifying, round-robin game schedules. Check out an updated NHL Odds & News on where NHL and the Stanley Cup stand in their quest to start the 2020 Hockey Season with our Coronavirus (COVID-19) NHL Update.

NHL Coronavirus (COVID-19) NHL Update – July 14th Edition

NHL 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs

  • When: September 22 – October 4
  • Where: TBD

NHL Stanley Cup Odds

  • Boston Bruins +500
  • Tampa Bay Lightning +500
  • Colorado Avalanche +700
  • Vegas Golden Knights +600
  • St. Louis Blues +900
  • Philadelphia Flyers +1200
  • Washington Capitals +1200
  • Pittsburgh Penguins +1400
  • Dallas Stars +1400
  • Toronto Maple Leafs +2500
  • Edmonton Oilers +2500
  • Nashville Predators +4000
  • Vancouver Canucks +3500
  • Calgary Flames +4000
  • Carolina Hurricanes +3500
  • New York Islanders +4000
  • Winnipeg Jets +4000
  • Arizona Coyotes +4500
  • Minnesota Wild +4500
  • New York Rangers +3750
  • Florida Panthers +4000
  • Columbus Blue Jackets +3300
  • Chicago Blackhawks +6600
  • Montreal Canadiens +8000

These 6 players won’t participate in the NHL restart

Before getting into the positives that happened last week, let’s get through the negative part. First, nine Pittsburgh Penguin players were exposed to Covid-19. Those players are quarantining.

Second, the following six players won’t participate in the NHL’s return to play plan.

Defenseman Travis Hamonic – Calgary Flames

Defenseman Karl Alzner – Montreal Canadiens

Defenseman Mike Green – Edmonton Oilers

Wing Sven Baertschi – Vancouver Canucks

Defenseman Roman Polak – Dallas Stars

Defenseman Steven Kampfer – Boston Bruins

Most of the players said they didn’t wish to participate due to health concerns. A few said they wanted to ensure they didn’t accidentally expose a family member to Covid-19.

Now that we’ve got the negative stuff out of the way, let’s get to the positive things that happened last week!

NHL has a new collective bargaining agreement

One of the biggest overhangs during the pro hockey league’s shutdown was that the collective bargaining agreement was ready to expire at the end of 2022.

Guess what? The National Hockey League and players signed a CBA that doesn’t just extend to the end of that year, but also extends to 2026.

The new collective bargaining agreement overrides the one that was set to expire in December 2022. The added four years means we can expect hockey for a total of 6 years without any issues.

One of the sticking points was that players wanted an opportunity to skate in the Olympics. Owners agreed, which is why the CBA specifically says players can participate in both the 2021 Olympics and the 2024 Olympics.

Those Olympic dates could change. No matter what they end up being, hockey pros may play for their nations.

NHL decides Edmonton and Toronto are their hub cities, and release first batch of games

The league announced that Canadian cities Edmonton and Toronto are their two hub cities for the NHL’s return to play. Edmonton will host teams in the west. Toronto will host teams in the east.

Both Las Vegas and Vancouver were also considered. Nevada has seen a rise in Covid cases while Vancouver was deemed a less attractive option than Edmonton.

After announcing the two cities which would serve as the NHL’s return to play hub, the league released the schedule for its first batch of games. Matches start on August 1.

MyBookie has set betting lines for matches on August 1 and August 2. Check out NHL betting odds.

Then, put on your hockey handicapping caps. The National Hockey League will soon head back to the ice!