KOLKATA, INDIA - 2020/03/25: In this photo illustration a National Hockey League (NHL) logo seen displayed on a smartphone with a computer model of the COVID-19 coronavirus the background. (Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
For the past two seasons, the NHL has been impacted (like everything) by the COVID-19 pandemic. The season came to a screeching halt in 2020, then there was the playoff bubble in which the Islanders got to participate in, and then the shortened 2021 season last year.
This year, the NHL will be playing a full 82 game season but there will still be protocols for the 2021-2022 season.