It had been widely reported already, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made it official Tuesday night when he opened the 2020 draft: The league is targeting a Jan. 1 start date for the 2020-21 season.
That would make for a slightly shorter offseason than usual, but of course nothing about this year has been normal, with players already getting a four-month break between the regular season and postseason because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jan. 1 has become an important date for the NHL thanks to the annual Winter Classic, though it's an unclear if that event will take place this year, or in what form. This year's Winter Classic was scheduled to be held at Target Field in Minneapolis, with the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues.
The NHL has made it clear that it intends to play a full 82-game regular season while also hoping to avoid playing too late into the summer. We also know players have no intention of going into a bubble for a full season, something NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr has made clear.
There are plenty of other questions still to be answered, though, including whether or not there will be fans allowed in arenas (and how many), and how travel between the United States and Canada will work.
The NHL said in its statement that dates for the start of training camp will be announced at a later date.