Report: NHL's Plan to Return from COVID-19 with Neutral Site Games off the Table

The NHL is moving on from a plan to restart the 2019-20 season at non-NHL neutral sites, ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported Wednesday. 

Wyshynski wrote that the "plan never got out of the concept stages due to lack of accommodations, and challenges in staging and televising games."

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report the development on Tuesday. He reported the league was pivoting to "one NHL city per division."

"Teams from that division would be brought to this location." Friedman wrote. "And, it sounds like the plan is to complete the regular season—if possible. One idea, a triple-header per day at each location to get it done in three weeks. The players have to agree."

Wyshynski and colleague Emily Kaplan provided updates on the approach:

The current season has been suspended since March 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friedman first speculated April 5 that Grand Forks, North Dakota, could be an option for the NHL if it limited game sites to one or a small handful of cities to secure a return to the ice. Hockey insider John Shannon reported Manchester, New Hampshire, was a possibility as well.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported MLB and the MLB Players Association were discussing a similar plan. The league would temporarily move its operations to Arizona, specifically Phoenix and the surrounding areas.

Florida Panthers president Matt Caldwell discussed the NHL's current mindset in a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

"The goal is to finish this season in some way, shape or form," he said, per the Miami Herald's Jordan McPherson.

Caldwell added that the NHL tentatively is looking to resume in July, with games in four or five cities across the country.