Insider Trading: Could Sharks play in empty arena on March 19?

TSN Hockey Insiders Darren Dreger, Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger join James Duthie to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the NHL, the latest on the most likely scenario for the Sharks' home games, the fate of the IIHF men's tournament, and more.

Could the San Jose Sharks play in an empty arena March 19?

LeBrun: The road trip comes at a good time for the Sharks, who have nine days to think about it, but I'm told that the leading option right now is to play March 19 against the Montreal Canadiens in front of empty stands, which would be uncharted territory for the NHL. Nothing definitive, but that's the leading option. Some people have wondered about the possibility of doing a neutral site game, but, there is speculation that the ban could extend to all of California, which of course would include the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. No word on that right now, that is pure speculation, but we know this: the Sharks are taking about this internally, they're thinking of going empty for the 19th and probably beyond. 

Dreger: The NHL held a conference call with team presidents today and really the messaging was that this situation is under an hour-to-hour watch. They are under the guidance of the CDC and local health authorities. Commissioner Gary Bettman explained to the team presidents that he is constant contact communication with the other major sports league leaders and they're managing this process as best they can. The biggest concern continues to be prevention. Teams are cloud cleansing, they are sanitizing seats and railings in their arenas and they're asking all involved to limit any handling where possible. That was the message today on the first call with team executives. 

Fate of men's IIHF tournament still unclear

McKenzie: The fact that tournament is May 8 gives the IIHF some time to try and process some information, but what IIHF president René Fasel said today is that they're hoping to hear this Friday or Saturday from the Switzerland government in terms of whether that ban of having a thousand or more people in stadiums will continue to be imposed. The IIHF will hear from the Swiss government hopefully by Friday or Saturday about how much longer that ban will remain, if it continues to remain, and then they'll have a better idea of maybe where they are for the Worlds. There's still some time, however, on that front. 

Will NHLers want to participate in the men's worlds? 

Dreger: There's a hockey operations to this as well, and it's way down the list of concerns that the federations like Hockey Canada or USA Hockey may have but think of it this way: If the men's worlds are a go, how difficult is it going to be for the heads of these federations to convince NHL players to leave North America to go to Switzerland to participate in the men's world hockey championship.

McKenzie: Fasel has also said that there are no plans to have ghost world championship games. It's going to be an all or nothing proposition. The next big date for the IIHF is happening on Monday and Tuesday when their international council is scheduled to meet. A lot of it is going to be done by video conferencing, because getting to Switzerland for meetings is not going to be easy. At that time they'll determine what the future is for their April events, including the under-18 world championships that are set for late April in Plymouth and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Right now the event is still a go, but the entire March calendar has already been wiped out for the IIHF and we'll find out on Monday and Tuesday if the April calendar suffers the same fate. 

Decision on June NHL combine still to come

LeBrun: The combine is slate for June 1 through June 6 in Buffalo. I was told today that the event is under evaluation. People are obviously talking about the merits of holding it or not holding it, there are more than a hundred prospects and you've also got player agents. For now it's still a go, but we'll see.