Speculation: 2020-21 Season Rumors and Facts Thread

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Just re-watched it and he had already pushed the button before looking at the balls.

Rigged.

 

[bone]

Coincidence then that only the Leafs and Rangers balls were the ones near the intake when buddy decided >on his own volition< to press the intake button?

It was literally impossible for anyone else to win other than those 2 teams which had the only 2 balls floating at the intake when that button was pressed while he was staring right at them.

For this year it was rigged. The league desperately needs the Rangers and Leafs revenue during Covid. I trust Bettman as far as I can throw him.

He briefly looks down to make sure he pushes the right button, then lifts his eyes while first pushing it down, then looks at the machine holding the button until a ball comes out, releases the button and puts down the controller. Conspiracy theory is all this is.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

He briefly looks down to make sure he pushes the right button, then lifts his eyes while first pushing it down, then looks at the machine holding the button until a ball comes out, releases the button and puts down the controller. Conspiracy theory is all this is.

Rigged.

I’m just a sore loser to those Ranger and Leaf assholes

 

[bone]

Rigged.

I’m just a sore loser to those Ranger and Leaf assholes

I do accept that it is likely what Bettman wanted most, I just doubt that it was "fixed"

 

[Little Fury]

Some people forget they were young once themselves. I bought a lot of stupid stuff when I was a junior, but it's like a right of passage. Mind you, I still buy stupid stuff at times. Just more expensive stupid stuff.

I just don't understand how people having money to spend to support retail and keep money moving through the economy is a bad thing here. But I'll just leave it there.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[Soundwave]

NBA is saying they are planning to play 82 games with fans in arenas with a start day possibly on Christmas Day.

NHL I believe has to play 70+ to hit certain TV contractual obligations.

 

[barry halls]

I just read that the NBA plans to start up on Dec. 22 - I wonder if that puts more pressure on the NHL to meet their tentative Jan. 1st target, I hope that’s the case

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Latest is 4 hub cities (not bubbles) with 4 - 6 teams in rotating in and out of each hub for 1 - 2 weeks playing 4 games per week with a Canadian Division, and doing this until all 31 teams can play games with fans in their home arenas with the start date being Jan 1 and the Cup awarded no later than June 30.

 

[LMFAO]

NBA is saying they are planning to play 82 games with fans in arenas with a start day possibly on Christmas Day.

NHL I believe has to play 70+ to hit certain TV contractual obligations.

Thats completely dellusional.

Christmas day in 14 months yes... not in 2 months.

 

[DropTheGloves]

Latest is 4 hub cities (not bubbles) with 4 - 6 teams in rotating in and out of each hub for 1 - 2 weeks playing 4 games per week with a Canadian Division, and doing this until all 31 teams can play games with fans in their home arenas with the start date being Jan 1 and the Cup awarded no later than June 30.

Pretty darn close to my proposal:

If I had my way:

-4 bubble cities (Canada West, US West, Canada East, US East). Say Edmonton, Vegas, Toronto, Tampa for convenience sake.
-3 bubbles will be use in every month, with 10 teams in each (11 in one of them). One bubble is empty each month to allow for cleaning, staff and team change-overs, quarantine requirements, etc.
-Teams rotate bubbles each month and play 12 games, or an average of 3 games a week. They do this for five months (Jan-May) playing 60 games. Each team ends the season in their "home" bubble.
-Departures/arrivals will be staggered with two teams on a bye each week to allow for travel, so East-West games can still happen. However, most games (45) would be intra-conference.
-Playoffs start mid-June in two bubble cities if they're still needed by then. Wraps by up August 15th. The 2021-22 season can then start closer to its normal time (November).

We’ll see about the fans in buildings part, but playing 4 games a week just to ensure a fullish schedule seems short-sighted to me. You want the players at least somewhat fresh for the playoffs, not burnt out.

 

[K1984]

Honestly though that is how it should be.

The Rangers got a fast track rebuild thanks to 2 lottery wins and the last one was rigged due to the fact that the guy who was pressing the intake button was staring right at the balls and the only 2 balls near the intake were the Leafs and Rangers when he pressed it with absolutely no instructions on when to press the button given. It was so rigged it was sickening but of course everyone knows the Leafs and Rangers get their way with Bettman.

The only reason they opened the lottery up this much is because the Oilers were winning it (or not winning it, but still picking #1). Now because the worst teams have less of a chance of getting the pick (which they wanted when the Oilers were the worst) they are outraged at how the system is designed. I laugh and get satisfaction at the state of the lottery because it was changed as an F.U. to the Oilers, and now they are spinning with the dumb, unnecessary changes that they made to the system.

Also, I still wonder where the outrage was when the Devils went on their #1 overall run.....

 

[K1984]

The only reason they opened the lottery up this much is because the Oilers were winning it (or not winning it, but still picking #1). Now because the worst teams have less of a chance of getting the pick (which they wanted when the Oilers were the worst) they are outraged at how the system is designed. I laugh and get satisfaction at the state of the lottery because it was changed as an F.U. to the Oilers, and now they are spinning with the result of the dumb, unnecessary changes that they made to the system.

Also, I still wonder where the outrage was when the Devils went on their #1 overall run.....

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[bellagiobob]

I don’t see any way they get a full season in. With the Olympic deadline (assuming that isn’t cancelled) and a February start, they will be hard pressed to get a 48 game schedule done. At this point, the way things are trending, hard to believe there will be fans in the stands, maybe a couple thousand per rink in a best case scenario.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I don’t see any way they get a full season in. With the Olympic deadline (assuming that isn’t cancelled) and a February start, they will be hard pressed to get a 48 game schedule done. At this point, the way things are trending, hard to believe there will be fans in the stands, maybe a couple thousand per rink in a best case scenario.

They were talking about 4 games per week with a week off back at the home rink with 4 hub cities. If they go Jan to April saving May and June for the playoffs that is 18 weeks. Playing 4 games per week with 1 week off means only 9 real weeks of hockey. That is only 36 games per team which isn't even half a season. That plan makes absolutely no sense.

If they played out of their home arenas and played every other night over 18 weeks that is 62-63 games. I think that is the best case scenario at this point if they want to end by the end of June.

Either way we are looking at a truncated season meaning the players and teams will have to negotiate on if the players salaries is prorated or not. That was not factored into the MOU. They will have to figure that out first before they can even think of plotting a schedule but at this point, they might as well get going on that and if they cant agree just cancel the season and roll the contracts over for 1 year.

 

[Soundwave]

They have to start in January IMO, February is too late.

If you have to, start in US bubble cities and at least get games going, that way the Canadian teams can load up on games against other US teams.

Hope that by Feb/March you can move teams back to their home rinks, but you can't just sit there waiting until Feb/March doing nothing.

70 game season, playoffs start in May. Probably their best bet at this point.

Either that or they are going to have to look at pausing the season in late July, wait for the Olympics to finish, and then finish the season in August which is getting into the realm of the untenable.

 

[bone]

They have to start in January IMO, February is too late.

If you have to, start in US bubble cities and at least get games going, that way the Canadian teams can load up on games against other US teams.

Hope that by Feb/March you can move teams back to their home rinks, but you can't just sit there waiting until Feb/March doing nothing.

70 game season, playoffs start in May. Probably their best bet at this point.

Either that or they are going to have to look at pausing the season in late July, wait for the Olympics to finish, and then finish the season in August which is getting into the realm of the untenable.

it’s already too late for 70 games and May playoffs (assuming the Jan 1 earliest possible start)

 

[Soundwave]

it’s already too late for 70 games and May playoffs (assuming the Jan 1 earliest possible start)

Then they have to play to whatever they can get. Honestly they should have planned for a December start, sitting around twiddling their thumbs for weeks helps no one.

If they hope was to have teams in arenas with fans and to keep pushing things back because of that, you might as well have just started in December in bubbles at least to get a set number of games.

 

[bone]

Then they have to play to whatever they can get. Honestly they should have planned for a December start, sitting around twiddling their thumbs for weeks helps no one.

If they hope was to have teams in arenas with fans and to keep pushing things back because of that, you might as well have just started in December in bubbles at least to get a set number of games.

I agree, but that ship has likely sailed. I think the best case scenario is aim for 48 game season as there is historical precedent with that number. Assuming ~14 games a month, they'd need about three and half months to play. So make the drop dead date to get started be nothing later than what gets you 48 games and full playoff run (perhaps even an expanded 24 team playoff) ending a couple weeks before the Olympics (~ July 9).

Playoff wise that needs the May 1st start (if expanded scenario). Current scheduling typically goes 82 games in 185 days. Same pace would be about 108 days to play 48 games, but you can probably shrink by about 5-8 days by removing the All Star Break. So say even 100 days. That requires the season to start by approximately Jan. 15