Shortened 60 game NHL season reportedly in the works for 2020-21

2020 has been one wild ride. We're in the thick of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and it's the first week of September. Usually, this month would be reserved for training camp stories, which rookies to look out for and re-familiarizing yourself with all the offseason moves of the summer. But it's 2020 so of course we haven't even gotten to the Conference Finals yet... again what a wild ride.

The playoffs themselves are expected to last another month, with October 5th as the last possible date for a potential Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. So... what happens with the 2020-21 season? After all, the puck usually drops on the new season on the first weekend of October. Will we see hockey in November and December?

ESPN reporters Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan managed to get some anonymous quotes from NHL executives on the state of the league moving forward and the resulting article that the pair devised has some pretty shocking statements regarding next season. For one, we're likely looking at a shortened season consisting of just 60-65 games. Secondly, if you're expecting training camps to open in November, well... you've got another thing coming.

Check out some of these quotes from Wyshynski and Kaplan's article:

The NHL and NHL Players' Association tentatively agreed to a Dec. 1 start date for 2020-21, with training camps beginning on Nov. 17. But privately, team executives believe that's too ambitious. The further the NHL pushes back the start date, the less likely a full schedule is. Awarding a Stanley Cup in September or October isn't going to be a regular occurrence.

As one high-ranking team business executive told ESPN bluntly: "We all realize an 82-game schedule for next season is a pipe dream. It's just not going to happen."

One NHL executive told ESPN he anticipated a season of around 60 to 65 games, beginning in mid-to-late January. Another NHL team executive believed 70 games would be the baseline for next season, because that's a number typically used as a minimum for regional TV contracts -- although that number was "more of a guidepost" than a mandatory minimum. 

For the full article from ESPN, click below: