NHL players could return to team facilities by “mid-to-later portion of May,” league says

Without setting a firm return date, the NHL and NHL Players Association expressed optimism Wednesday that players and team staff could return to their home cities and prepare for some sort of training camp during the “mid-to-later portion of May.”

In a joint statement, the two parties said the league could move to Phase 2 of a re-opening plan — previously described as the return of players and staff to team headquarters — in the latter portion of May, “provided that conditions continue to trend favorably.”

“In the meantime, we expect Players and Hockey Staff to continue to adhere to the recommended (self-quarantine) guidelines put in place when the season was paused on March 12,” the statement read.

Phase 3 is training camps and scheduling and Phase 4 is the return of games — possibly the resumption of what was the remainder of the regular season. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman previously said the league is willing to play through the summer to complete a full season.

The Avalanche has 12 remaining regular-season games. Carolina and the New York Islanders have a league-high 14 remaining games.

Colorado (42-20-8, 92 points) stands second in the Central Division and Western Conference behind the St. Louis Blues (42-19-10, 94 points), with a game in hand over the defending Stanley Cup champions.