As plans for the 2020-21 season continue to be discussed, there is one item that seems set in stone for whenever the new NHL season gets underway. There will be significantly less than a full 82 game slate.
With a target start date of January 13 and a planned conclusion sometime in July, there is simply no way the league can play out a full schedule. Instead, as the plan currently stands, the goal is to create a 52 or 56 game schedule.
As others have reported, NHL now aiming for mid-January start and we're now looking at a 52 or 56-game schedule, at best.