I'll clarify upfront that this is an opinion piece.
Reports this week started to make something that I've felt for a little while more real: We might be skipping this season in the AHL.
AHL guru Patrick Williams noted that AHL teams will need at least eight weeks to get ramped up ahead of any start date they select. They have to sort out hundreds of things on the ice and off to make the season successful, and it will be a marathon at sprint speeds to get it done. Not to mention that most teams have furloughed front office workers, and they need to either bring them back or hire new ones, if they've moved on, which many likely have.