NHL teams may not be allowed to travel to and from Canada for playoffs?

The NHL temporarily realigned teams to create the all-Canadian North Division for the 2020-21 season because the border that separates the United States and Canada remains closed to non-essential travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported Tuesday that discussions about teams traveling to and from Canada for the playoffs that are set to begin in mid-May could continue through the first week of June.

Per the planned format, the first two rounds of the postseason tournament will involve teams playing only divisional opponents. However, the last club standing from each division will then advance to a semifinal matchup determined by regular-season records.

Current Canadian quarantine guidelines would make it impossible for any club to host playoff games up north in June. The NHL is asking that the Canadian government give the North Division winner and its opponent special permission to travel without completing mandatory quarantines, but the league could relocate the Canadian club to the U.S. for the remainder of its playoff journey if necessary.

Wyshynski added that the surviving Canadian team would be moved to a city close to its opponent to reduce travel costs. 

Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist working at Toronto General Hospital who has consulted with the NHL Players' Association, hit out at the Canadian government potentially impacting the playoffs with a decision on mandatory quarantines for league personnel.

"It's not about player health. It's not about public safety. It would be about optics and ethics," Bogoch explained. "You have the capability to have the American teams vaccinated. Everyone 16 and up in the U.S. is eligible for the vaccine right now. And these American teams have exquisite amounts of resources at their disposal: flying on private jets, safety protocols in place for teams. This does not pose a risk to the general public, let's be clear here. This does not pose a risk to the players or the ancillary personnel involved. This would be an ethics and optics issue."