A report by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that came out late last night indicates that the NHL and NHLPA are discussing possible third party locations to host the 2020 Playoffs. North Dakota has been the first location named so far.
Several sites would be necessary, but Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D., makes sense. Host of the 2005 World Junior Championships, the 2016 World Under-18s and the NCAA’s University of North Dakota, it is an impressive facility that is definitely more suitable than many other available non-NHL options in the United States. - Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet
None of this is beyond the spitballing stage, and I request everyone to take the grain of salt Elliotte put in his article seriously.