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Just over a week has passed since the NBA suspended its regular season, effectively launching a sports blackout in response to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Other leagues quickly followed suit, with the NHL, MLB, and MLS suspending their seasons indefinitely, and none look to be returning anytime soon.

Can't wait any longer to bet on those sports? Ironically, you can wager on just how long you'll be waiting for each of those four leagues to return - and you might not like the odds for the over.

NBA

The NBA was the first league to shut its doors after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus on March 11, and it's been at the front lines of informing fans and bettors just how long this layoff could last.

On Thursday, commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN's Rachel Nichols the league would resume "when public health officials give us the OK," which likely means mid-to-late June at the earliest based on the latest reports regarding owners' expectations.

Silver sounded optimistic but hesitant about the league's chances of returning this season, even floating the idea of an NBA exhibition game for charity during the hiatus. It seems unlikely players would risk injury for an exhibition if they knew the season was starting soon thereafter, though it's hard to project just how long they'll be waiting before basketball resumes.

The longer this season suspension drags on, the more pressure the NBA will be under to shorten the 2020-21 campaign, which would add a whole host of new logistical challenges in addition to a damaged 2019-20 season. That leaves two likely scenarios: A mid-to-late June return (+115) or a canceled season (+130).

The best bet, unfortunately, might be the latter.

NHL

The NHL and NBA calendars share plenty of similarities, but that doesn't mean the schedule for one will mimic the other.

On Wednesday, deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly said the league wants to avoid any scenario that cuts into a full 82-game slate next season. That seemingly rules out plans resulting in the postseason extending into late July or early August.

Last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs lasted just over two months, and while the league could move ahead with a truncated postseason, that still doesn't bode well for returning later than June and still preserving a full 2020-21 campaign.

If the NHL hasn't resumed games by June 1 (+300) - which seems highly unlikely given current CDC recommendations - it might not return until next season (+120).

MLB

Because MLB had yet to start its season before suspending play, it can get the most creative with scheduling solutions.

The league has already delayed Opening Day by at least eight weeks, and it will likely need two-to-four weeks of spring training before starting again, which all but rules out a return by June 1. Talks of abandoning the 2020 draft (June 10-12) and international signing period (July 2) aren't great signs either, though money appears to be the biggest factor there, not safety and public health.

The only potential snag tied to reworking the MLB season is the league and players' union not coming to terms on how to handle service time in a shortened campaign, but that seems unlikely to derail an entire season.

The best bet on the board is a return in July or later (-185), giving a league eager to play its full season enough time.

MLS

While not one of the four "major" sports in the U.S., soccer gets the best chance to return before this summer in the oddsmakers' minds. Perhaps that's out of necessity: MLS is the least equipped of the domestic leagues to weather a lengthy work stoppage without revenue from games.

On Thursday, MLS announced it won't return until at least May 10, but that's still a more optimistic date than what's being projected in other leagues. MLS officials have also discussed pushing back the league's championship by a month, which might offer enough wiggle room for an early-summer comeback.

If you're going to bet on any of these leagues returning by June 1, take MLS, but it's looking unlikely we see play from any of the four before then. As somber as it feels, it's worth betting "no" at short odds on any or all of these leagues returning no earlier than June 1.

At least you'd get a small profit from your sports hiatus.

C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.

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The NHL season is suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and while the league hopes it will eventually be able to resume and conclude the 2019-20 campaign, that's far from a foregone conclusion. This week and next, we're breaking down some of the major storylines that hang in the balance.

Believe it or not, this coming Sunday marks one month since the Toronto Maple Leafs failed to score more than two goals on a Zamboni driver - the Zamboni driver for their AHL team - during an embarrassing 6-3 home loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. For a hockey world currently consumed by the horrors of a pandemic, the images from that wacky Saturday night seem so distant, as if Sunday is instead the one-year anniversary.

Prior to the NHL's decision to press pause on its regular season, that forehead-slapping loss at the hands of David Ayres was arguably the defining moment of the Leafs' puzzling 2019-20 campaign. Now, as we wait for either an abbreviated final stretch or a full cancelation, it's definitely the defining moment for such a turbulent team.

With all due respect to Ayres - the emergency backup goaltender who milked his 15 minutes of fame before returning to normal life - that's an unfortunate tag for the Leafs. This squad, as flawed as it is dangerous, had significant moments ahead. Even if you hate them (hello, 30 other fan bases), there's no denying Toronto's highs and lows provided tantalizing theater. With a three-point lead on the Florida Panthers (who had a game in hand) at the 70-game mark, the Leafs were on track to clinch the third Atlantic Division playoff spot and meet the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. It's quite possible the best, or the worst, was still to come.

Barring injury, it was a foregone conclusion that Auston Matthews, the club's best forward, would reach the 50-goal plateau for the first time in his career. Thanks to his versatility as a sniper, which included adding a lethal one-timer, he had been fooling goalies with ease, bagging 47 goals in 70 games. That gaudy total put him one behind David Pastrnak and Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead, leaving the door open for a thrilling Rocket Richard Trophy race.

Meanwhile, Morgan Rielly, the club's best defenseman, had just returned from two months of injury rehab. Would Rielly's presence down the stretch have helped Toronto clean up its porous defensive play? Would he have given overworked and struggling goalie Frederik Andersen a little relief in the lead-up to the postseason grind?

The Leafs' season can be sliced neatly into two parts: the end of the Mike Babcock era (9-10-4 record) and the start of the Sheldon Keefe era (27-15-5). If you were to judge them solely on those splits, they are clearly better off with the new guy. However, it's not that simple within the context of the paused season.

Toronto displayed an unpredictability from night to night; general manager Kyle Dubas used the words "Jekyll and Hyde" following the trade deadline. The Leafs flashed their supreme skill and puck possession capabilities in wins, yet were a complete tire fire defensively in losses. The highest highs, like 11 wins in 13 games from Dec. 7 to Jan. 4, were often preceded and followed by inconsistency and indifference.

What made this year unique was that it was the first official season of Dubas' great all-in-on-skill experiment. With Babcock out and Keefe in, this was finally Dubas' team. Since last offseason, the young GM has doubled down on skill and an offense-first mentality by surrounding his stars - Matthews, Rielly, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander - with Dubas-style players such as Jason Spezza, Alex Kerfoot, Tyson Barrie, Ilya Mikheyev, and Denis Malgin. The only player recently acquired who fits the bill of "rough and tumble" is Kyle Clifford, with whom Dubas had familiarity through a previous working relationship.

Tightening the focus on Dubas' grand plan was the state of the team's blue line. Up until late December, Rielly had been the only defenseman with a contract for next year. Justin Holl, Jake Muzzin, and call-up Rasmus Sandin have since been added to the 2020-21 roster, but the rest remains in flux because of an impending salary-cap crunch.

If the season is indeed toast, what happens to Barrie, Cody Ceci, and Travis Dermott? Dermott, a restricted free agent, is almost certainly returning, but the others are likely gone via unrestricted free agency. A chunk of Toronto's fan base will be OK with those subtractions, given the poor seasons from both players, yet their departures would leave the back end in a state of greater disrepair than it is now. Up front, the bottom six, which for the most part was underwhelming in 2019-20, is filled with uncertainty, too. The final dozen games of the season might have answered some questions about the future of Toronto's role players and the direction of the team, in general, heading into the playoffs and/or offseason.

Unlike the tidy ending to Ayres' moment in the limelight, though, there is no tidy ending to the story that was being authored by the 2019-20 Leafs. For now, anyway. Unfortunately, a 2-1 win over the Lightning - of all teams - on a random Tuesday in March may turn out to be it. How unsatisfying.

John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.

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The Chicago Blackhawks are sticking to their guns.

President John McDonough, general manager Stan Bowman, and head coach Jeremy Colliton will all return next season, Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz told The Athletic's Scott Turner on Thursday.

Before the season postponement, Chicago sat last in the Central Division with 72 points in 70 games, ranking 18th in goals for and 21st in goals against.

Bowman has been the team's GM since July 2009, overseeing Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013, and 2015. He's been applauded for retooling the club after each championship while working within the salary cap, but in recent years Bowman has drawn criticism for some trades, such as dealing Artemi Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017.

Colliton, meanwhile, replaced Joel Quenneville behind the bench early in the 2018-19 campaign. He owns a career record of 62-58-17 without a playoff appearance. With several highly regarded coaches on the open market - including Bruce Boudreau, Peter Laviolette, Mike Babcock, and Gerard Gallant - the Blackhawks would've been able to choose from intriguing options to replace the 35-year-old.

Chicago is in transition. Veteran leaders Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith are still performing well, but youngsters like Dominik Kubalik, Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach, and Adam Boqvist fill out the roster. If the young guns can mature quickly while the veterans are still effective, the team could put together something special.

The trio of McDonough, Bowman, and Colliton will be entrusted to ensure everything aligns according to plan, at least for another season.

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With the NHL playoffs unlikely to begin before June, the landscape of the league could change significantly as injured players return.

Here are the teams that the suspended season could benefit the most, each of which might be worth buying now before odds shorten following the boost to their lineups.

Carolina Hurricanes (35-1)

Injuries on the blue line forced Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell to be aggressive prior to the trade deadline, acquiring Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen to shore up the back end. The latter has been sidelined since the start of February due to a lower-body injury and hasn't made his Canes debut, but the layoff gives him lots of time to get healthy.

Potentially getting back defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce is more significant for Carolina. Both were expected to miss the remainder of the season with leg and shoulder injuries, respectively, but it's possible they'll return at full health should the playoffs not commence until June. That would give the Canes arguably the NHL's best top-six defensive options with Hamilton, Pesce, Vatanen, Skjei, Jaccob Slavin, Jake Gardiner, and Haydn Fleury.

Colorado Avalanche (7-1)

Long-term injuries weren't necessarily a concern for the Avalanche, but the team hasn't been healthy all season. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen were out before the season was suspended, and both can now fully recover. The same luxury will be afforded to Nazem Kadri and Matt Calvert, who were each week-to-week.

The biggest upgrade though will come in goal, where Colorado had been without Philipp Grubauer since Feb. 15. The team remained hopeful he would be back before the end of the regular season, and the suspension removes any doubt.

Columbus Blue Jackets (100-1)

The Blue Jackets would be a dangerous low seed if they're included in the playoffs when the season returns.

They were a shoo-in for the postseason to begin February before ankle injuries sidelined both Seth Jones and Oliver Bjorkstrand for 8-10 weeks. Jones leads this team on and off the ice, while Bjorkstrand notched a club-high 21 goals this season despite appearing in just 49 of the Blue Jackets' 70 games. Getting both back would be a massive boost for Columbus, which is 3-6-6 since Jones suffered his injury.

Philadelphia Flyers (9-1)

James van Riemsdyk broke his hand and faced a four-to-six week absence days before the season was suspended, which would have likely kept him out for the start of the playoffs.

The suspension also opens the door for Nolan Patrick to come back after missing all of the campaign so far with migraines. Patrick, the Flyers' second overall pick in 2017, had resumed skating and was hopeful of a late-season return.

Pittsburgh Penguins (14-1)

The Penguins dropped eight of their last 11 games before the season was suspended, but they might be the biggest beneficiaries if the playoffs don't begin until June.

Jake Guentzel underwent shoulder surgery after suffering a gruesome injury on Dec. 30, and he was given a late-May return date, making a comeback possible if the Penguins made the Stanley Cup Final. Now he'll likely be available for the duration of the playoffs.

Coming off a 40-goal season and on pace for another in 2019-20 before getting hurt, Guentzel has registered 43 points in 41 career playoff games. The Penguins acquired Jason Zucker to replace him, but getting both into the lineup would be an incredible jolt for Pittsburgh and a concern for the rest of the Metropolitan Division.

St. Louis Blues (9-1)

The defending champions have been making due without Vladimir Tarasenko, who's been sidelined since Oct. 24 with a shoulder injury. General manager Doug Armstrong announced recently that Tarasenko could return in late April, but the three-time All-Star will now be fully ready when the playoffs start.

Tarasenko scored 11 goals over 26 playoff games while helping the Blues win the Stanley Cup last season.

Tampa Bay Lightning (6-1)

Steven Stamkos suffered a core injury on Feb. 25 that was expected to sideline him for six-to-eight weeks, putting the star forward on track to probably return during the first round of the playoffs. Getting him back earlier is a relief for the Lightning, who are likely feeling the pressure after being swept in the first round last season.

Victor Hedman had also been battling a lingering lower-body injury, but the suspension gives him the opportunity to get healthy before what Tampa is hoping will be a deep playoff run.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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Seattle's NHL franchise won't get a name this month.

The league's 32nd team was hoping to unveil its nickname in Q1, which ends March 31, but pushed back those plans due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Sports Business Journal's Mark J. Burns.

Seattle will join the league ahead of the 2021-22 season and will play home games at the renovated KeyArena (now called the New Arena at Seattle Center).

The NHL put its season on hold March 12 amid the coronavirus outbreak. The spread of the virus has resulted in the cancellations and suspensions of leagues and tournaments across major and amateur sports worldwide.

On Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators confirmed that an unnamed player tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, marking the first case in the NHL.

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Tie Domi didn't mince words while bashing Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Steven's reputation as one of the toughest players in history.

The former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer ripped Stevens on the latest episode of the "Cam and Strick Podcast," claiming that the 6-foot-2 blue-liner was unwilling to back up his physical play.

"Scott Stevens was the biggest phony I ever played against," Domi said. "Honestly I chased that guy for years. He was such a phony, it was a joke."

Stevens, who was known for his thunderous open-ice hits, apparently refused to answer the bell despite going after Domi's most talented teammates.

"That guy used to target all the best players on my teams and I always tried to fight him and he would never fight," Domi said. "He never stuck up for anything that, you know, is what a hockey player stands for."

Domi continued his rant by telling a story from his time with the New York Rangers.

"We had a bench-clearing brawl with the (New Jersey) Devils one time and (Stevens) bear-hugged me so hard it was unbelievable. ... Him and I ended up on the bench, he was bear-hugging so hard I said, 'Let go, I'm going to beat the shit out of you,' and he wouldn't let go, he was holding on so tight," Domi said with a chuckle.

Domi is the NHL's all-time leader in fights with 333 and ranks third in career penalty minutes (3,515). Stevens sits 14th (2,785) in the latter department.

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