The Carolina Hurricanes will begin their training camp on July 10th
The NHL has set a date about a month away from now for the Carolina Hurricanes and the rest of the playoff teams to begin training camp for the playoffs.
July 10th. For now, that is the date that the Carolina Hurricanes and 23 other NHL teams will officially kick off phase three and begin training camp in the return to play plan that was agreed upon.
While the Carolina Hurricanes opted to delay their entry towards an official phase two this week and continue to train on their own, this current target in July would actually involve the whole team being there with trainers and coaches to actually begin preparing officially for the tough games that will come when the puck drops.
More return to play progress, with Phase 3 (training camp) set to begin July 10. Assuming around three weeks for camps, you're looking at an early August date for puck drop in Phase 4. https://t.co/CY47vRNyjL
— Michael Smith (@MichaelSmithNC) June 11, 2020
Before you plan your hockey parties and push and prod every sports reporter within a 10-mile radius about this date, do recognize that this is still a moving target. It was set as a no earlier than 1 July target a few weeks ago and with only four weeks between now and this new target, there is a lot that can happen.
But let us be optimistic, let’s assume that there will not be a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and that we will be more than happy, on our way to practicing faceoffs, line changes, and powerplay sets on July 10th, what does that mean for the Carolina Hurricanes and the final phase of the plan?
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For the Carolina Hurricanes, there is some real hope that the new Wake Competition Center will be up and as fully-functional as a death star when the time comes, allowing the team to christen the new facility with playoff practice.
There will be a slew of younger players that will be there at the camp ready to try and earn their positions on the team as well. While the actual roster limits are still to be decided, expect there to be a lot of depth showing up looking for a chance to follow the team to one of the hub cities.
That depth is important and if last year’s playoffs are any example, there is a chance that they will be relied upon to help carry the mantel forward when play resumes.
So what does that mean for the final phase?
Consider that there will be two if not three weeks of training camp to get the players all reacquainted with each other and with the more physical aspects of the game. That alone will more likely than not take us into August.
Teams will have to then move to the hub cities and begin playing exhibition games. Let’s be conservative and say that the whole process will only take a week. That would then begin the actual playoffs no earlier than the weekend of August 7th.
With the most conservative estimates saying that the playoffs would take around 60 days to award the Stanley Cup, don’t be surprised if the commissioner is out there in his Halloween Costume to name the Conn Smythe recipient and award the Cup. In turn that this would more likely than not ensure that next season won’t start any earlier than December.
Question For CC Readers: How long do you think the playoffs will run?