Bettman finally shares his plans for resuming 2019-20 NHL season

For the first time since “pausing” the 2019-20 NHL season nearly four weeks ago, Commissioner Gary Bettman is finally discussing the possibility of not completing the regular season and jumping directly into the Stanley Cup Playoffs if and when play resumes.

Bettman also acknowledged during an interview with NBCSN that the league is considering playing games at neutral site locations, as well.

‘We’re looking at all options. Nothing’s been ruled in. Nothing’s been ruled out,’ Bettman said yesterday afternoon.

‘The best thing and the easiest thing would be if at some point we could complete the regular season and then go into the playoffs as we normally do,’ he said. ‘We understand that may not be possible. And that’s why we’re considering every conceivable alternative to deal with whatever the eventuality is.’

NHL players are still on official quarantine for another week and analysts and experts believe that the absolute earliest that players could get back on the ice would be late June or early July.

Bettman has not placed a deadline on when he and the league brass will make a decision on the resumption or cancellation of the season and/or playoffs.  Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, however, acknowledged in an email to The Associated Press the league will eventually have to establish ‘some last possible day’ so not to cut into the start of the following season. ‘It’s nothing that we are even close to setting at this point in time,’ though says Daly.