NHL Delays Return to Play Date Until at Least December 28 amid COVID-19 Concerns

The NHL's return to play will have to wait at least one more day than originally planned.

The league announced on Friday that it "will not resume prior to Tuesday, Dec. 28," as the games scheduled for Dec. 27 have been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.

According to the press release, the NHL decided on a one-day delay "in order to allow the League an adequate opportunity to analyze league-wide testing results and to assess clubs' readiness to play." The release stated that teams will begin practicing on Sunday, Dec. 26, and the league expects to provide another update on its return to play that same day.

The NHL was forced to pause its season on Wednesday, two days before its scheduled Christmas break, with multiple COVID-19 outbreaks. Eleven teams had to suspend operations, and the league canceled games that involved cross-border travel between the United States and Canada.

According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, "more than 15 percent" of players were in the league's health and safety protocols as of this past Monday night. The NHL implemented stricter protocols amid the outbreak, such as social distancing, travel restrictions and daily testing, the latter of which was up from once every three days.

Over 50 games have been canceled this season. Considering the effect the outbreak has had on the season schedule, the league is expected to exercise its opt-out clause for player participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.