The Toronto Maple Leafs' Scotiabank Arena is believed to be the front-runner to host as a Canadian hub city in the NHL's restart. Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NHL Canadian hub city down to Edmonton vs. Toronto in close race

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 6/26/20

The NHL season could resume as early as next month, but the league needs to make a decision on its two hub cities before they announce any other major details.

According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, that decision could come by Friday ahead of the 2020 draft lottery, and two Canadian cities are said to be in a very close 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

Vancouver recently was ruled out of contention as a Canadian hub city, but Edmonton may have one of the strongest bids across the entire league.

Edmonton's ownership group really wants the season to resume at their home rink, and Oilers Entertainment Group provided details Monday about its proposal, including safety protocols and leisure activities for players, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

OEG making a big push on the safety, and player experience elements in bid to be Hub city. Details below on what they have put in front of the league and the players. (My reporting in point form.) pic.twitter.com/HzDmp4p7ZH
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) June 22, 2020

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.

With players currently skating in small groups ahead of the season restart, they could report for training camp at their scheduled hub cities as soon as next month, provided the league has decided to move forward with its plans.

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