NHL to postpone more home games in Canadian markets
Per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the NHL is potentially looking at postponing some additional games so that it can alter the schedule to allow for maximum fan attendance to protect revenues.
The changes, if they occur, would mostly impact the NHL's Canadian markets. While the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers do not appear to be at risk of losing any home games according to Friedman, it is expected that the biggest impact will be felt by the Montreal Canadiens.
The NHL continues to do whatever it takes to avoid a lengthy season pause, but recent changes to the CDC's asymptomatic positive COVID-19 isolation guidelines in the U.S. could complicate matters with Canadian clubs who will travel back and forth across the border.
The biggest takeaway from all of this appears to be that the NHL wants to keep as many fans in NHL arenas as possible to avoid anymore setbacks when it comes to generating revenue.
With the Omicron variant appearing to be less severe in terms of symptoms, perhaps the NHL feels more comfortable with potential outbreaks, knowing that they won't be as serious as they were with COVID-19 and the Delta variant.
The one question that needs to be asked, however, is whether or not the NHL is starting to sacrifice health and safety for profit.
