NHL aiming for 82-game season in 2020-21, regardless of 2020 conclusion

As we all sit in our homes live-tweeting the antics of our children or pets in lieu of National Hockey League games, The Athletic has stumbled upon a big bit of news in a chat they had with NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. Regardless of what happens with the remainder of the 2019-20 calendar, the NHL is aiming for an 82-game schedule in 2020-21.

All sorts of options for finishing off the 2019-20 season have been kicked around, contingent on COVID-19 no longer being an active threat to human lives:

Depending on world health conditions, we could see hockey return anywhere from late May to September. But one comment from Daly provides an insight into the NHL’s mindset right now:

In other words? 2019-20 is already a mess and will be a mess no matter what happens. But the NHL’s seeming priority is to make sure that 2020-21 is a full, complete season.

We’ll continue to have updates on the world of hockey (and coronavirus’ impact on that world) as they become available.