We don't know when (or if) the NHL will be able to resume its 2019-20 season.
If the NHL is able to resume its season, it's not clear where those games will happen, either.
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN on Friday that the NHL has heard from several cities and venues looking to host neutral-site games in the event that the NHL decides to take that route.
"We do have people putting together the comprehensive laundry list of what we would need from facilities and evaluating some facilities on some level," Daly told ESPN. "But I can't tell you we've even finished creating a list (of potential sites), much less narrowed it down."
Possible neutral-site cities have been reported to include Grand Forks, North Dakota, Manchester, New Hampshire and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
If the playoffs are held in neutral sites, Daly didn't rule out the possibility that players would be able to have their families with them.
"I mean, the players have been sheltered with their families for quite some time now, going on a month," Daly said. "So I don't believe bringing families necessarily would increase the risk, but that would depend on what the health organizations tell us, what the authorities tell us, and what their recommendations and best advice is.
Darren Dreger reported on Thursday that the general managers participated in a poll on potential playoff formats in the event that the postseason needs to be condensed. The poll found that 20 general managers support a best-of-five series format for the first three rounds, but still prefer to have a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. One general manager suggested a best-of-three first round, best-of-five second round, then best-of-seven conference finals and Cup Final. Another general manager suggested a single-elimination format for the first three rounds, followed by a best-of-three Stanley Cup Final.
Daly told ESPN that the single-elimination idea is highly unlikely.
"I would say that a best-of-one is not something we would ever go to," Daly said. "I've always had the caveat that everything is on the table and nothing is out of the question. I would say there would be a strong opposition to ever creating a playoff where it was a single elimination. I think best-of-three is more possible, not preferred, but more possible than a best-of-one scenario."
