Here are 12 takeaways from Neely’s call:
1. The league is intent on completing the 2019-20 regular season and proceeding with the playoffs. The Bruins played 70 of 82 regular-season games before the league commenced its suspension on March 12.
2. Neely is not worried about how veterans such as Zdeno Chara, 43, and Patrice Bergeron, 34, are preparing for possible resumption, even with a month-plus off the ice.
3. If local, national and international governing bodies give the NHL the green light, the most likely scenario would be for players to participate in informal workouts and practices with their teams. This would be followed by a training camp of approximately three weeks. It would then take approximately three weeks for the regular-season games to be completed before the playoffs. There have been no league discussions about shortening playoff rounds to fewer than seven games.
4. Games would likely be played in centralized locations, perhaps four to six cities. The players would have to be isolated in those locations.
5. The priority for Bruce Cassidy and his staff during this time has been to study possible playoff opponents.
6. All parties want to complete this season. But one of the NHL’s priorities is to maintain an 82-game season in 2020-21, even if it means pushing the start date past the usual early-October puck drop.
7. International players who went back to their offseason homes overseas would most likely face quarantine after returning to North America. This would include Swedish players like Joakim Nordstrom and Anton Blidh. Sweden has been more liberal with distancing guidelines than other countries.
8. If this season resumes, fan attendance will be reduced, if not eliminated altogether. Television will have to lead the way. Additional camera locations have been discussed with in-person spectator sightlines not being an issue.
9. The 2020-21 salary cap could be flat because of lost revenue. Ditto for 2021-22. It would make general manager Don Sweeney’s task of re-signing Torey Krug challenging.
10. The Bruins and Predators were scheduled to start the 2020-21 regular season in Prague, Czech Republic. The trip will likely be postponed until 2021-22, assuming next season starts later.
11. Neely sounded skeptical about the 2020 NHL Draft taking place in June before the completion of the 2019-20 season.
12. Neely classified Joey Kocur as the toughest player he ever fought. The two tangled when Neely was still in Vancouver.
