The NHL has reportedly chosen its hub cities for the 24-team playoff and both will be in Canada.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie is reporting that Toronto and Edmonton will be the host cities for the postseason “[b]arring any last-minute complications.” Sportsnet later confirmed the report.

Barring any last-minute complications, and we have seen some of those (Vancouver and Las Vegas), the two NHL Hub cities will be Edmonton and Toronto. 🇨🇦

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2020

In mid-June, Sportsnet reported that Las Vegas would be one of the hub cities, but that changed last week when coronavirus cases spiraled out of control in the United States. Nevada has become one of several hot spots as COVID-19 is spreading worse there than in any other US state.

There are benefits to all 24 teams playing in Canada beyond the Timbits. Being north of the border would allow the NHL to recoup some of its monetary losses. According to Forbes, Canada’s dollar is worth only 74 cents on the US dollar right now, which would help on expenses like travel, hotels, and food.

The @NHL is still busy trying to pick the 2 hub cities for the playoffs, will Toronto be one of them?

More: https://t.co/QHAgkB0vuJ pic.twitter.com/wRjdDwBeYx

— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) June 20, 2020

Teams in the Eastern Conference will “likely” play in Toronto while Western Conference teams will take the ice in Edmonton, according to Elliotte Friedman.

Chicago, and Los Angeles were also in consideration as one of the final sports along with Las Vegas. Previously, Vancouver, Columbus, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Minneapolis/St. Paul were considered.

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