When Elias Pettersson chatted with the media via Zoom on Thursday, I asked him for more details on what's currently allowed at Rogers Arena, within the Phase 2 protocol.
"We're in small groups," he said. "We are eight players and one goalie, so we're getting the most out of it. We're never close to each other. We have our small pods, like small areas where we can work out in on the ice. We're doing a lot of technical stuff, skating. Trying to not be too close to each other."
Pettersson also said that while ice rinks were open in Sweden, he didn't skate at all while he was back home, because there was no ice available close to where he was living. So this week has been his first opportunity to try to get a feel for things again.
Patrick Johnston from The Province has a more detailed rundown of how the quarantine operation currently looks for Pettersson and the rest of the Canucks:
"The players have been divided into four groups: the local, non-quarantined group; the Canadians who had to travel using commercial airlines; and the 17 international players, who have been split into two groups.
All four groups are being kept isolated from each other, including the two international groups."
Players are allowed to mingle with others in their group, including in a lounge area at the hotel, but are still being asked to keep their distance in those situations.
I haven't seen a comprehensive list of who's here and who isn't. But as far as I know, the local, non-quarantined group that has been skating is made up of three players — Alex Edler, Chris Tanev and Troy Stecher. Jake Virtanen is also in that group, but I don't believe he has joined the Phase 2 workouts yet.
As for Jake's night out at Celebrities earlier this week, my feeling is that the incident got blown out of proportion.
Like every other business that has re-opened, Celebrities needs to adhere to the provincial guidelines. Check their website and you'll see that it's far from business-as-usual during what they're calling "The Space Between Us." Patrons are required to make advance reservations and stay at their table with the group of people they came with, not mingling with other groups. In essence, it's basically a darkly-lit restaurant setting with louder music.
"'Jake didn’t do anything wrong, but now that we’re heading into Phase 2 it’s not just about him anymore,'" Canucks' assistant manager Chris Gear told Johnston. Gear added that "the Canucks reminded the 24-year-old about the risks of going out in public and that he could expose the entire team, not just him. 'It’s all about hockey now and he gets that.'"
There's no doubt that Jake's a magnet for controversy in this town. But think back to training camp, when he was under fire for not hitting his fitness targets. Travis Green protected him on a personal level, and didn't hesitate to give him opportunities during the season, which led to career highs of 18 goals and 36 points. His six power-play goals ranked fourth on the team, and he led the Canucks with six game-winning goals, which means a lot of those Shotguns were legitimate reasons for celebration.
My expectation is that everything will be status quo when Virtanen joins the team.
As for other players, Bo Horvat's Instagram full of baby pictures suggests that he's still back in Ontario, bonding with his new son Gunnar. The Roussels have also welcomed their new arrival, and Antoine's on his way back to town.
According to Patrick Johnston's article, Roussel and Horvat will required to spend a "league-mandated eight days" in the bubble after flying in from another part of Canada. The same would be true for Alberta boys Brandon Sutter and Jay Beagle — although, if they drive, they'd be exempt from the quarantine rules.
Johnston also mentioned that Travis Green has completed his two-week quarantine and is now free to go out in public, while goaltending coach Ian Clark is currently self-isolating at the same hotel as the players.
Gear told Johnston that all Canucks tests have been negative so far. Once the players and coaches' respective quarantine periods are over, they'll be allowed to return to their homes.
As for the latest on the return-to-play plan, details are being gradually released as the NHL and the Players' Association continue to hammer out the CBA that will hopefully get them through these next few post-pandemic years.
Frank Seravalli from TSN has the latest update on Saturday:
The NHL and NHLPA are hopeful they will today finalize a tentative agreement on Phase 3/4 RTP protocols, a CBA extension, transition rules and critical dates calendar. @frank_seravalli has the details of what a lot of that will look like: https://t.co/qm5rib6Pec
Plenty of perks are being offered in exchange for the players' willingness to take a hit as the league gets its financial house back in order — including a doubling of this year's playoff pool of prize money. It jumps to $32 million in total and the individual payouts will range from $20,000 for players who lose in the qualifying round all the way up to $240,000 for players on the team that wins the Stanley Cup.
All players will have the option to opt out of the tournament without penalty, if they wish.
Also, as I'm sure you've heard, the Olympics are back in the mix for 2022 and 2026 — subject to agreement with the IOC and the IIHF.
And as for dates — it looks like the official opening of training camp will be pushed back a bit, to July 13 — still just nine days away! Hub city arrivals will be scheduled for July 26 — and I believe the plan is for every team to play one exhibition game before the games begin for real on August 1.
Assuming that the rest of the deal is hammered out soon, it'll take a few days to collect all the player votes — and yes, players from all 31 teams will be voting, not just the ones from the 24 teams taking part in the summer tournament.
If all goes according to plan, the qualifying round will be completed in time to hold Phase 2 of the Draft Lottery on August 10. The goal is to award the Stanley Cup in early October, then hold the actual 2020 draft in mid-October and have free agency open on November 1, ahead of a 2020-21 start date in late December or early January.
As we discussed a bit in the comments of the last blog, the plan is still to ensure the 2020-21 season is played in full. I think that's crucial as the league tries to put its best foot forward while negotiating that new U.S. TV deal. I think that's expected to fuel a good amount of the bounce-back on the revenue side, especially if live fans are still limited or prohibited.
As for next season, the NHL remains focused solely on a full, 82-game season despite a late start in December or January. They will try to squeeze it in, which means potential for Cup final next summer
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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