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And from Lebrun today (as telling or even more so IMO)

But there are two reasons why a December start to the 2020-21 season is on the table:

The length of time it will take to complete the 2019-20 season (if resumed at all). Several team executives that I have spoken with over the past week have said the league has hinted at being willing to go as late as September, maybe even October, to finish off the playoffs for this season. After that, some form of an offseason would be needed, even in a truncated form, before you could start a new season.

A lot of teams feel they need fans back in their arenas next season before opening the doors. That’s what they’re telling me. It’s fine to try and finish off the 2019-20 season without fans because 85 percent of the regular season has been played and that gate money has been earned. But by the time the NHL opens up shop for 2020-21 season, most teams can’t even think of starting without fans in the building. Some organizations have told me they would lose less money by simply staying dark. Hence, they’re hoping a December start will be enough time for the world to be in a better place with the pandemic. Will we have a vaccine by then (maybe not)? Will there be medical treatments that help mitigate the threat and allow for crowds to gather again by December? Will massive numbers of tests be available everywhere? Who knows. But delaying next season as long as possible to wait out the worst fo the pandemic is probably a wise idea at this point. The NHL is a gate-driven league. Now, could the league open without fans for a month or so before fans can return? I’m sure that also will be discussed to see if it’s feasible.

I’ve had a couple of team executives suggest a January start to next season isn’t out of the cards but a league source told me this week that would be pushing it.

https://theathletic.com/1781539/2020...shared_article