Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is in the running to be an NHL hub location. Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

NHL still 'ironing out' details for hub cities, announcement not expected Friday

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 6/26/20

While NHL players have resumed skating in voluntary workouts, the league has yet to make an announcement on which two cities will be selected to host the 24 teams returning to action this summer.

According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly says an announcement regarding the hub cities selection won't be coming on Friday.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly says it doesn’t appear as though the Hub cities decision/announcement will come today. Still more to iron out. So, we’ll see what the weekend brings...
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 26, 2020

This news comes after LeBrun reported early Friday morning that the league could make a decision on hub cities as early as Friday and that two Canadian cities are in a tight race to host teams this summer.

Sense I get is it’s extremely close between Edm and Tor bids, both seem to have provincial health clearance. One source involved gave slight edge to Tor but wasn’t ready to call it yet. Players will have more discussions this morning on it and get back to the league.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 26, 2020

While Edmonton and Toronto are neck-and-neck to be the Canadian host, the Oilers Entertainment Group provided details Monday about its proposal, including safety protocols and leisure activities for players, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

Toronto's bid may be stronger for Eastern Conference teams, though, because it keeps them in the Eastern time zone. However, the league reportedly is looking to keep all organizations in the same time zone for the season resume, so Edmonton could potentially receive the nod over Toronto.

Of American cities in contention, Las Vegas, home of the Golden Knights, has been rumored to be a front-runner to host half of the teams returning to action.

Players are set to report for training camps on July 10, though that could change as the coronavirus pandemic is surging in states such as California and Florida.

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