The NHL has had abbreviated training camps before, such as before the 2020-21 season, which started Jan. 13 and was shortened to 56 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2012-13, which started Jan. 19 and was cut to 48 games following the lockout. In each of those cases, there were no preseason games.
Those condensed camps and seasons were anomalies, though. This will be the new norm with the NHL.
“I feel we’re all going to learn together,” Kings forward Quinton Byfield said. “We’re going to have to come together quick here. I feel we have a lot of older guys present, new coaching as well. They’ve been around a long time.
“I don’t think it’ll be too much of a challenge, but it’ll be interesting and we’ll all learn together.”
Although mandatory fitness testing has been eliminated (also part of the new CBA), coaches emphasized to their players during the offseason the need to be ready to hit the ground running from the first day of practice.
“You can't be caught off guard by that,” Carbery said. “In years past, I've always felt like the veteran players, they don't play the first couple (preseason) games. They get ramped up as camp goes along, and you’re just not going to be able to do that.”
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby remembers hearing stories from veterans when he entered the League in 2005 about month-long training camps. In those days, teams practiced for a week before playing a preseason game.
“That’s where guys actually got in shape and got ready for the year (during camp), and that then changed a lot,” said Crosby, who is beginning his 22nd NHL season. “Now guys come into camp, and they’re already in great shape and they’re pretty much ready to go. …. I’m not a guy that doesn’t need to play a preseason game. I like to get a couple in and get timing and stuff.
“So, it’s pretty individual, but I’m fine with it. I think that it’s not that big of a difference.”
The shorter camp might not have as big of an impact on veterans that don’t have to worry about earning roster spots. For younger players and those on professional tryout agreements, fewer practice days and fewer preseason games means fewer chances to make an impression.
Coaches will have less time for that as well.
“I just think it's common sense when there's less games, there's less of an opportunity to provide for some of those things,” Sullivan said. “We're certainly going to prioritize trying to prepare the New York Rangers to be ready for game 1. That has to be the No. 1 objective of our training camp.
“But we'll do our very best to do some of the other things.”
Still, there will be an urgency for coaches to put together what they project to be their opening night lineup sooner than in the past, when practice groups for the first few days of camp were often a mixture of young players and veterans.
“We're approaching it as much more, ‘Get the Washington Capitals ready for game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes,’ as opposed to, ‘Let's take a look at all these young players, let's try some different things, let's evaluate,’” Carbery said. “That means the structure of camp will change a little bit. Maybe some lineups for exhibition will change a little bit.
“You might look at it and go, ‘Well, that's not really fair to some guys that are trying to make the team.’ But here is the reality: we're using this camp as, yes, we have to evaluate, but the No. 1 priority is to get our NHL team ready to play the Carolina Hurricanes.”
NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika, senior writer Dan Rosen and staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report
