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Dater’s Daily Links: Cautious optimism continues on NHL season resuming

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Some of the people I talk to around the league – and they are people who know what’s going on, who have influence – continue to seemingly get a little more optimism with each passing week on the issue of the NHL season resuming this summer.

Of course, this is all tentative. It’s all cautious optimism.

One of the things that makes me a bit more optimistic, too, that this will actually happen: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly – as honest and good a guy as you’ll ever want to meet, and almost surely the successor to Gary Bettman whenever he retires – told TSN’s Ryan Rishaug recently that, even if a player or two tested positive for the coronavirus during the resumption of an NHL playoff/regular season, it wouldn’t mean the whole thing would just shut down.

That was one of the biggest things I was “worried” about when it came to all this. We already know eight NHL players have tested positive – three from the Avalanche and five from the Ottawa Senators – and likely more than that.

I’m also hearing this: there won’t necessarily have to be tests done daily on all the players and/or anyone else in the building for, say, a regional playoff. We’ll assume the league will have plenty of tests available to anybody who wants one if this thing actually happens, but what I’m hearing is: if you don’t show any symptoms, you don’t have to get a test every single day.

I’m just spitball-speculating on this one, but I do think the Avalanche will be a team whose players might be tested every day – or at least get more testing beforehand than your average team. After all, there have been at least three players so far who have come down with the virus. And, there still is no conclusive proof that getting it once means you’re immune to it a second time.

OK, some links:

  • Lots of stuff in this ESPN piece, about the NHL season resuming (possibly), the draft and other matters. (ESPN)
  • You are aware, right, that my man Ashley Glover has already done an exhaustive look at the 100 top NHL draft prospects, right here on this site, right? (Colorado Hockey Now)
  • Larry Brooks of the New York Post says the league and NHLPA have formed a “Return to Play” committee (NY Post)
  • Another article that espouses optimism about the NHL season resuming, including words from an epidemiologist (Hockey News)
  • Mikko Rantanen is getting into the hot tub business (Coloradoavalanche.com)
  • Stan and Josh Kroenke have created a COVID relief fund for arena employees and others associated with the Avs and Nuggets (Coloradoavalanche.com)
  • Hopefully that quiets down the social media PC bullies and shamers who thought it was their place to rip on the Kroenkes for not IMMEDIATELY setting up some kind of aid package when the shutdown happened (this is actually the second relief package they’ve given employees). I can’t stand the social media shamers who do that stuff. First of all, the Kroenkes have given millions and millions of dollars already back to the Denver community. They don’t need Mr. and Mrs. Anonymous Keyboard PC Warrior to tell them what to do with their money.
  • Kroenke Sports also gave lots of money, meals and gift cards last week to workers and kids at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children (Coloradoavalanche.com)
  • A list of who are expected to be the top 20 NHL unrestricted free agents this summer (Sportsnet)

Thanks for your continued patronage of my site. Believe me, whenever we start playing hockey again, starting with whatever training camp they have, this site will be ALL OVER what’s going on with the Avs.

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