The NHL is getting closer to resuming its season with a 24-team play-in tournament

• The NHL is hoping to resume the 2019-20 season in the summer, with games most likely returning in August, though there is no exact date yet.
• Commissioner Gay Bettman on Monday said the league will use a 24-team a play-in playoff tournament that effectively ends the regular season.
• The top four seeds in each conference will compete in a round-robin for seeding, while seeds 5-12 will play in best-of-five series, with winners advancing to best-of-seven series vs. the top four seeds.
• Bettman said the announcement of the plat-in tournament does not mean that the season will definitely resume.

The NHL season has been suspended since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the league sounds determined to resume play, with Commissioner Gary Bettman outlining a 24-team play-in tournament if and when games resume. Bettman said the 2019-20 regular season is over, but that the league is not definitely returning.

"At the pause, we committed to resuming play only when appropriate and prudent," Bettman told reporters (via ESPN) "We are hopeful the Return To Play Plan will allow us to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup in a manner in which the health and safety of our players, on-ice officials, team staff and associated individuals involved are paramount."

There is no clear return date, but July looks most likely

The NHL doesn't yet have a clear resumption date, but Florida Panthers president Matt Caldwell reportedly said in April that the league is looking to return in July.

According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, training camps won't open before July.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported that training camps upon returning would likely take three weeks. Additionally, players returning from other markets or countries may need to self-isolate for two weeks before resuming camps.

Bettman told reporters that the league is considering eight or nine neutral sites to resume play. After training camps conclude, teams would then need to time to go to those sites before play resumed.

The season would most likely resume in August.

A play-in tournament to begin the playoffs

Bettman's announcement on Monday focused on the new play-in tournament, which was widely reported last week.

In the play-in format, 24 of the 31 teams would return. The seven teams out of playoff contention are done for the season.

Seeds 5-12 in each conference would then compete, with the fifth seed playing the 12th seed, sixth seed playing the 11th seed and so on. Each series would be the best of five, with winners then advancing to best-of-seven series for the remainder of the playoffs.

The top four seeds in each conference will also play in a round-robin to determine playoff seeding.

Bettman said the NHL is still considering 10 cities in which to play — one city for each conference.

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