Maple Leafs GM Joins AHL Return to Play Task Force

The Task Force

AHL and NHL Must Work Together

One thing we have to remember about the AHL is that it is mostly a gate driven league. The AHL depends on ticket sales and putting fans in seats. If ticket sales are affected, it would mean terrible losses for the league. Another thing to remember is that the AHL schedule depends greatly on the NHL’s schedule. A big factor for the AHL season is when and how the NHL season ends. It would be impossible for the AHL to move forward with free agency and plan for both training camp and the regular season starting periods. In order for the AHL and NHL to have a concurrent schedule, the AHL will have to wait until the NHL playoffs finish. If everything goes according to plan for the NHL, their playoffs will not be complete until sometime in September.

Many Factors to Consider

The start to the AHL season for 2020-21 will depend on when the NHL playoffs are finished and how long of a break the NHL takes before it starts it’s own 2020-21 season. Other things that affect the AHL from a NHL standpoint are things such as contracts, salaries, waivers and insurance. All of these things will need to be ironed out with assistance from the newly created task force. If NHL teams do not know which players are going to be under contract for next season, neither will the AHL teams. These are definitely strange and difficult times for everyone, the AHL included.

The Ripple Effect

A very big unknown right now is how all of this will affect the ECHL. The ECHL can not move forward until they know what the AHL is doing. There is no telling if the ECHL will even have a 2020-21 season. Any financial burdens felt by the AHL would be even greater for the ECHL. This of course hinders the season for any Maple Leafs prospects expected to play for the Newfoundland Growlers.

Final Thoughts on AHL Task Force

Hopefully everything will work out for the NHL’s return to play and hopefully this task force can help the AHL with theirs. A lot of work is needed and putting this task force together is just the first step. It will definitely be the strangest summer that both the NHL and AHL have ever faced.

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