Columbus is out of the running to be a hub city.
The Ohioan capital is no longer being considered to host teams if the NHL returns to finish the 2019-20 season, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.
Columbus was one of 10 cities under initial consideration, but that list was reportedly slashed to six Saturday. Las Vegas, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto are among the cities still in the mix.
"They had a lot of positives about our presentation, but they've gone in a different direction," Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "It's disappointing, but we were also among the last few cities to be considered. You take the positives along with the disappointment and you move on."
The NHL is expected to announce its decision on its two hub cities by the end of this week. The league is reportedly not considering delaying its tentative July 10 start date for training camps despite 11 players testing positive for COVID-19 during Phase 2 of its return-to-play plan.
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