The NHL could have its teams play daily tripleheaders in an attempt to accelerate the season upon its possible return.

"I was always told to prepare for tripleheaders - that that's the kind of thing we would be looking at, tripleheaders on a daily basis," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said Thursday on NHL Network.

He added: "I've been told that as it stands right now, the last possible day of the Stanley Cup Final is Oct. 5. So you can pretty much do the math, that's something like 66 days (from the end of July.)"

Friedman added that timing multiple games a day at the same rink may be complicated, especially if both hub cities are on the west coast.

It isn't yet known how the league will sanitize everything between games. Other potential hurdles include extended overtimes delaying other games.

"If we do go two western cities, that's going to be very interesting for TV how they do that," Friedman said. "In theory, you can play at 1:00, 4:00, and 7:00 every day locally, which is 4:00, 7:00, and 10:00 ET. But these are playoff games, what if we go to overtime? We talked about the cleaning that needs to be done between games, maybe that's not long enough a time between games.

"I was told to expect tripleheaders, I don't have any reason to believe that's different, but I'm not sure how much time they need in between all of these particular games."

The league is expected to initiate Phase 3 of its return-to-play plan on July 10, which would allow teams to begin full training camps. There is no date set yet for when the 24-team playoff will kick off.

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With the NHL on track to resume its season, some of the league's older coaches are ready to return behind the bench, even though they're aware of the risks they'll have to assume.

"No doubt you're thinking of the different options you may have, whether it's wearing a mask, to what extent you are going to deal with your team and players," 60-year-old Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "I know it may be a challenge behind the bench more than anywhere else, but my thinking is that I need to be ready to adjust and have options when that time comes, depending on where we are at with COVID and our hockey circumstance."

Julien added: "That also means pulling myself out if I feel a real danger. My family and life are more important than my job at that point."

The NHL isn't planning to implement any age-based restrictions on its coaches. It will be up to each individual to determine if they are comfortable participating or not.

There are currently 12 active members on NHL coaching staffs who will be 60 or older by the end of June, LeBrun added.

Dallas Stars head coach Rick Bowness expressed his fear of contracting the virus, saying, "I've been giving it an awful lot of thought. Without a doubt. I'm 65." However, the oldest bench boss in the NHL is putting his trust in the league and is yearning to see what Phases 3 and 4 of its return-to-play plan will look like.

"We'll have to see how it all looks when we get there," Bowness said. "You've got to trust that the league and everyone is doing everything they can to protect us all. Until I get there and see how it's all laid out. If the safety and precautions are being met, then yeah, we'll go ahead with it."

The NHL is aiming to launch full training camps leaguewide July 10. Coaches and training personnel haven't been permitted to be on the ice with players during Phase 2.

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Jason Spezza is rooting for former teammate Daniel Alfredsson to make it into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"I would love to see Alfie get in. I hope he gets the respect that he deserves in terms of voting," the Toronto Maple Leafs forward said Tuesday, according to The Canadian Press' Joshua Clipperton. "He's a guy that didn't win the NHL, but won a lot internationally. He was a guy that was a huge role model for me. Foundationally in Ottawa, he's the guy that really helped bring that club to respectability, and did so much for the community on and off the ice."

Alfredsson's Hall of Fame case has been highly debated since he became eligible in 2017. The 47-year-old - who retired from the NHL in 2014 - has missed the cut the past three years.

While he never won a Stanley Cup, Alfredsson - who spent 17 seasons with the Ottawa Senators before spending his final campaign with the Detroit Red Wings - was one of the most prominent players of his generation.

He racked up 444 goals and 1,157 points in 1,246 career NHL games and took home the Calder Trophy in 1996. Alfredsson also represented Sweden 14 times internationally and helped lead the team to an Olympic gold medal in 2006, an Olympic silver medal in 2014, and numerous other medals at the World Championships.

Spezza - who spent 10 seasons playing alongside Alfredsson in Ottawa - looks back fondly on their time together and said he hopes that the former winger finally gets the respect he deserves when the Hall announces its 2020 inductees Wednesday.

"We had great chemistry on the ice, we had great chemistry off the ice. I can't say I'm not rooting for him," Spezza said. "I'm patiently waiting to see what happens tomorrow. He's been eligible for a couple years, and it feels like this year he might have a little more of a chance. I hope he gets the respect because he's a guy that, in my opinion, deserves to be in the Hall."

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John Tavares believes the NHL is doing the best it can to implement proper safety measures to ensure the season can resume and finish at some point this summer.

"I haven't seen any other industries institute, at least that I know in the sports world, the type of strict protocols that we have and are going to have in the NHL that has helped us and will help us be as safe as possible and give us a realistic opportunity to play," the Toronto Maple Leafs captain said Monday, according to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.

"We continue to listen to all the health experts and health organizations which are kind of guiding us. That's the biggest thing," Tavares continued. "There's obviously unique cases and certain circumstances for any specific individual but we're in a pretty good spot with the type of testing, safety protocols, and measures that have been put into place."

The league revealed Friday that out of over 200 players tested so far during Phase 2, 11 tested positive for COVID-19. While this phase is voluntary, any player who opts to participate must be tested regularly.

The Maple Leafs captain is a part of the league's Return to Play committee and has been a part of ongoing discussions about players' concerns with return-to-play plans since the season was paused on March 13.

He pointed to the sports leagues in Europe that have resumed as a positive sign: "We've seen overseas in some of the soccer leagues, especially in some of the countries that were hit pretty hard, how they've been able to adjust and adapt and adopt very similar protocols in the quest to play and complete their seasons. It leads me to be optimistic that we'll be able to complete our season."

The NHL will reportedly allow groups of up to 12 skaters train together as of Tuesday. Groups of up to six were previously allowed under the Phase 2 guidelines. Despite the uptick of positive cases announced Friday, the league isn't planning to delay its tentative date for full team training camps beginning July 10.

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Oilers Entertainment Group is making a strong push for Edmonton to be selected as one of the NHL's hub cities.

The company provided details Monday about its proposal, including those related to the player experience and safety measures it plans to implement, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

All players will stay at the JW Marriott hotel, which is across from Rogers Place. A village-style setup - similar to that used during the Olympics - will provide players with outdoor and indoor activities, including golf simulators, basketball courts, movie nights, video games, live entertainment, ping pong, pool tables, lounge areas, and rooftop patios.

Arrangements will be made with more than a dozen of the city's top-end restaurants to provide players with a wide variety of food delivery options. Local golf courses will also have days dedicated to hosting only the participants living in the bubble.

The players are unlikely to be joined by their families immediately upon arrival, but OEG is working with Alberta Tourism to create vacation experiences across the province for family members to take part in as the season resumes.

Safety and testing protocols will be strengthened for all players, staff, and employees. Edmonton police will also help plan dedicated routes for players to use when traveling to and from the arena.

The league is expected to announce by the end of this week its choice of the two hub cities. After reportedly cutting down the list from 10 cities to six on Saturday, Edmonton remains in the mix alongside Vancouver, Toronto, Las Vegas, and two others.

The NHL 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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Oilers Entertainment Group is making a strong push for Edmonton to be selected as one of the NHL's hub cities.

The company provided details Monday about its proposal, including those related to the player experience and safety measures it plans to implement, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

All players will stay at the JW Marriott hotel, which is across from Rogers Place. A village-style setup - similar to that used during the Olympics - will provide players with outdoor and indoor activities, including golf simulators, basketball courts, movie nights, video games, live entertainment, ping pong, pool tables, lounge areas, and rooftop patios.

Arrangements will be made with more than a dozen of the city's top-end restaurants to provide players with a wide variety of food delivery options. Local golf courses will also have days dedicated to hosting only the participants living in the bubble.

The players are unlikely to be joined by their families immediately upon arrival, but OEG is working with Alberta Tourism to create vacation experiences across the province for family members to take part in as the season resumes.

Safety and testing protocols will be strengthened for all players, staff, and employees. Edmonton police will also help plan dedicated routes for players to use when traveling to and from the arena.

The league is expected to announce by the end of this week its choice of the two hub cities. After reportedly cutting down the list from 10 cities to six on Saturday, Edmonton remains in the mix alongside Vancouver, Toronto, Las Vegas, and two others.

The NHL 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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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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Nico Hischier is making the most out of his free time during an offseason that's been extended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The New Jersey Devils forward has been fulfilling his military obligation in his native Switzerland, according to NHL.com's David Satriano. Service is mandatory for all able-bodied male Swiss citizens once they turn 18 years old.

"This summer is 18 weeks, and then every summer for the next six-to-seven years I have to be there for three weeks - but just from Monday to Thursday - you have to be at that training center," Hischier said on Saturday. "If you (play in) the World Championships tournament for Switzerland, that counts as well (for up to three weeks)."

The 21-year-old notes the routine is different for athletes who serve in the army, and that it's mostly just training with no access to weapons. He hasn't been given his rank yet, but he'll become a sports soldier upon his completion of service this summer.

"We didn't do that much army stuff yet," Hischier added. "It's more of wearing the right clothes when we go to the training center. They have everything there so you are really able to work out good and do your military service as well. One reason I did it was because I needed to stay in shape, because I didn't know where to go since gyms weren't open and I couldn't just work out at home."

"Because of the coronavirus, for the first four weeks we were at home, and did a home-schooling kind of thing," he continued. "We had exercises on the computer we had to basically learn. After that, we went to a training center where the army for athletes is. We started with some 45-minute meetings where we learn (first aid). We were there from Monday to Friday and we work out twice a day."

Hischier is on track to complete his initial service in mid-August.

The 2017 first overall pick scored 14 goals and added 22 assists in 58 games this season. He inked a seven-year, $50.75-million contract in October, which kicks in next season.

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The NHL announced Friday that 11 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since the league began Phase 2 of its return-to-play plan on June 8.

All players who tested positive have self-isolated and followed health protocols, the league said.

Over 200 players have been using team training facilities in groups of up to six on a voluntary basis during the second phase of the league's restart plan. All players taking part in voluntary activities have been subject to mandatory testing.

The Tampa Bay Lightning disclosed earlier Friday that they have temporarily closed their facilities after three players and additional staff tested positive for the coronavirus. Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has reportedly tested positive.

The league added it will provide weekly updates detailing the number of tests administered and the aggregate results of those tests as it works to resume its season. The identities of players and the clubs for which they play will not be disclosed.

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Mitch Marner likes what he's seen so far from the NHL in terms of keeping its players and staff safe, and has faith in the league to continue to do so.

"I think the NHL has everything under control through what I've seen through the last week or so," the Toronto Maple Leafs forward said Thursday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. "They’re doing all the right things to make sure no one's in the wrong or going to be in a bad place if anything happens.

"I think they're going to do what's best for their athletes and make sure that they're willing to look after us and take care of us."

Marner is one of a handful of Leafs players who have returned to the team's facilities amid Phase 2 of the league's return-to-play plan. During this phase, players are allowed to train in groups of up to six and need to take a number of measures to ensure one another's safety.

Players' temperatures are checked daily when they enter the facility, they undergo twice-weekly nasal swab tests, and they're required to wear masks when they're not working out, among other regulations.

While the circumstances are far from normal, Marner added that he's enjoyed being able to get back together with some teammates. He's been hitting the ice with John Tavares, Ilya Mikheyev, Jake Muzzin, Cody Ceci, and Jack Campbell.

"It's great getting back out there with a couple of the guys and getting to enjoy all that stuff and hanging out in the locker room again with them," Marner said. "It's something that I think a lot of guys really do enjoy, just being in the locker room and kind of just joke around and chirp each other."

The league tentatively aims to initiate Phase 3 of its return-to-play plan on July 10, which would allow teams to open up training camps in full for all players.

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