NHL hopes to open facilities in mid-to-late May

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The NHL could move on to the second stage of an eventual return over the next month.

"While the precise date ... remains tentative and as yet undetermined, we do feel that we may be able - provided we continue to trend favorably - to move to 'Phase 2' at some point in the mid-to-later portion of May," deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in a memo to the league's teams and players Wednesday, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.

The document also addressed those who've been staying in locations other than their club cities while the season remains paused amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Players and club staff who may currently be sheltering outside of the club's home city should consider whether to plan to return to their club cities, understanding the attendant travel restrictions and self-quarantine measures that may either be imposed by the NHL/NHLPA or remain applicable in certain jurisdictions," Daly said, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. "For example, some jurisdictions continue to require a strict 14-day home quarantine following international travel."

The NHL and NHLPA later clarified that they haven't made any decisions or established a timeline for a potential return, though the joint statement from the two echoes Daly's phrasing about the possibility of reopening facilities in mid-to-late May.

Players, coaches, and team staff were most recently asked to self-quarantine through April 30. That end date has been extended three times during the hiatus.

It was reported last week that at least one NHL team informed its players to get ready to report for informal workouts beginning May 15.