Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils: Coronavirus Puts NHL Season On Hold

By Nick Villano

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 03: Linesman Ryan Gibbons takes the puck from Mackenzie Blackwood #29 of the New Jersey Devils after he made a save against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on March 3, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Devils 3-0. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 03: Linesman Ryan Gibbons takes the puck from Mackenzie Blackwood #29 of the New Jersey Devils after he made a save against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on March 3, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Devils 3-0. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils and the rest of the NHL will be going home due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, better know as the Coronavirus.

The NHL isn’t saying it’s the end, but more a pause as they commit to sending everyone home for at least the foreseeable future as the world preps for a fight against the Coronavirus. We’re not here to give out opinion either way whether the NHL made the right or wrong decision on putting everything on hold, including for the New Jersey Devils, but after WHO declared this a pandemic, they made the decision to make this about safety over everything.

The NHL sent a statement Thursday afternoon after meeting with the Board of Governors.

"“In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019‑20 season beginning with tonight’s games.”"

That means things start immediately. That starts with Thursday night’s game at the Prudential Center against the Carolina Hurricanes.

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If this is the end of the Devils season, which isn’t what the NHL said but we have to admit is a possibility, it ends a lot of important things that still need to work themselves out. First and foremost, it’s the Devils draft picks. If the situation goes by direct points, and they go straight to the playoffs, the Devils would lose the 1st-round pick they got in the Blake Coleman trade because the conditions say if the Vancouver Canucks miss the playoffs, they get that pick back. However, if they go by point percentage, the Canucks are actually the three seed in the Pacific Division. Also, if there are no playoffs at all, how would that work? Nobody knows because we’re not there yet.

Looking at the Devils season, if this is it, it ends a quite a few important seasons. Jack Hughes is still in his rookie season, and he was finally getting a chance to play center. Players like Michael McLeod, Janne Kuokkanen and Joey Anderson were getting NHL looks. Jesper Bratt was on a wagon as of late, and was embarking on a really important stretch of his career. Kyle Palmieri was shooting for another 30-goal season.

This is a really sad day for the NHL world. Something outside our control has led to the end of the 2019-20 season, at least for now.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.

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