The latest reports on the Coronavirus and the return of hockey say the NHL is eyeing a 2020-21 season that begins in December. This would be bad news for the New Jersey Devils.
In the latest of what seems like never-ending reports on how the NHL might return after the Covid-19 pandemic, Pierre LeBrun with The Athletic reports that the NHL is not only looking at how to return to finish this season, but they are looking ahead at next season. That would mean the NHL starts next season in December. For most teams, it gives them the crucial time it takes to recover from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For the New Jersey Devils, this just means more time where they are in flux.
The Devils currently need a head coach, general manager, captain and more than likely a star player and another defenseman. There’s no other team in the league with more decisions to make. The only thing they have is stable ownership. Josh Harris and David Blitzer are giving the Devils the money to make it work, and they hope to put together a competitive team.
Well, if the NHL is looking at a December start, it sounds like they want to have an offseason of a similar length that they have now. Right now, the Finals end in June, and training camp returns in August. Here, the Finals would likely end in August and training camp would begin in November.
That means the Devils are looking to put a general manager in place at a time when they are usually on vacation. This year is unlike any we’ve seen, but it’s still not ideal for the summer time to be the time where the Devils have to make decisions on their biggest holes.
Hopefully, the Devils can fill one of those holes before hockey returns. They’ve interviews coaching and general manager candidates. They could just give the job to Tom Fitzgerald who’s already taken control of the quick rebuild. Maybe Gerard Gallant just wants a job with all this uncertainty, and the Devils job isn’t as bad as it might look.
Either way, starting in December is also terrible for Devils fans. We’ve waited way too long for competitive Devils hockey. We thought we were getting it this year, but almost immediately the season felt like it was over. After blowing a four-goal lead literally on opening night, things just collapsed from there. Now, we have to wait to see Jack Hughes after gaining weight over the offseason, or the first game of a $7 million Nico Hischier. There’s so much we want to see, and now it sounds like we have to wait until winter just to get a glimpse.