When will the 2020-21 NHL season begin?

Photo by Samuel Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe NHL playoffs are approaching the conference finals, so the league is starting to look at options for proceeding with the 2020-21 season. The NHL’s regular timeline is not an option during the pandemic, with the schedule usually kicking off in October.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan wrote a piece detailing some of the ideas the league is mulling ahead of the next season. She caught up with a few NHL and team executives. Some of the things Kaplan is hearing are:

Although NHL commissioner Gary Bettman believes an 82-game schedule is possible, many are skeptical. The situation is fluid, so the league will have to make adjustments on the fly. The…