Report: Edmonton, Toronto to be hub cities after Las Vegas spike in Covid-19 numbers

UPDATE 8:48 a.m.: Bob McKenzie is now reporting it will be Toronto and Edmonton.

The NHL is expected to announce the two hub cities for its 2020 season restart, and until recently, Las Vegas was viewed as a front-runner. As recently as Monday, The Athletic was reporting Las Vegas would be selected alongside Toronto. The Covid-19 pandemic might now change that.

A spike in Covid-19 numbers in Las Vegas has the NHL considering using Toronto and Edmonton as the two hub cities, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli. Chicago remained in the mix as well earlier on Tuesday, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

The moving average for Clark County (Las Vegas) has been on the rise since late May, and has increased in a larger fashion the past two weeks. You can view a graph below through June 26th, or in this PDF. The NHL is working on its own health and safety protocols, but there are certain limitations to the bubble plan. Most notably, hotel workers where the teams are staying are not living in the same bubble.