Canucks have no current plans to open rink

The NHL's Phase 2 began on Monday but TSN's Farhan Lalji reports the Vancouver Canucks are in no rush to return to their practice facility.

#Canucks are able to open their facility, have no current plans to do so at this time. They have a compliance nurse, screening & testing protocols in place, but only have 3 players in town, all of whom have access to ice. All of their US & European players are skating... 1/2

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) June 8, 2020

Right now it’s easier for players to skate on their own than deal with local restrictions. As more players return to Van #Canucks will reassess their plans. Benning also reaching out to other GMs for players in other areas to get access to local facilities (Jordie Benn in Dallas)

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) June 8, 2020

#Canucks looking ahead to phase 3 for opening facility & expect #NHL will give them enough time to deal with potential quarantine issues. Will take 3 days to get the ice in. Obv prefer to have training camp in Van if possible & not have to move it if quarantine still in place

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) June 8, 2020

Lalji reports that the Canucks have a compliance nurse and screening/testing protocols in place, but only three of their players are in Vancouver and all have access to ice anyway. Their American and European players are also skating with access to ice in their respective areas.

Lalji tweets that at the moment, it's easier for players to skate on their own rather than deal with local restrictions. As more players return to Vancouver, the Canucks will reassess their plans. General manager Jim Benning is also reaching out to other general managers for players in other areas to get access to their facilities.

The Canucks are looking ahead to Phase 3 for opening their facility and expect the league to give them enough time to deal with potential quarantine issues. Lalji reports the team prefers to have training camp in Vancouver if possible and not have to change locations if quarantine is still in place.

The NHL paused its season indefinitely on March 12 due to COVID-19. At the time of the shutdown, Vancouver sat at 36-27-6.

On May 26, the league announced its intention to resume play -- should it be deemed safe -- with 24 teams later this summer in two hub cities. Vancouver, along with Edmonton and Toronto, represent three possible Canadian hub city destinations for the NHL.