On March 12, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to suspend the 2019-20 season. Since then, we've all speculated on how (and if) the NHL will re-start the 2019-20 and what that will mean for the New York Islanders.
For a while it seemed that some sort of regular season would be played to allow teams to 'fairly' get into the playoffs. But as the pandemic stretched from March to April and through the month of May the possibility of a regular-season was abandoned.
On May 22, the NHLPA Executive Board, formed by player reps from all 31 teams, voted in favor of the NHL's plan for a 24-team playoff.