Maple Leafs Fans Could See Regular Season Hockey Sooner Than Ever Before

There's always a debate on whether or not the NHL regular season is starting too early, or too late as we often see the calendar flip to mid-April before we get a decision regarding who makes the playoffs, meanwhile the playoffs sometimes don't end until mid-June.

While it's pretty awesome that we get a lot of hockey, the amount of breaks and lull in the offseason can lead to a bit of boredom so to speak, as fans wait to see what is going to happen, and August always seems to feel a bit sluggish.

However, if NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly had his way, the season would be a bit more punctual, and according to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman; the league is seriously considering a change.

Mentioning the potential early season start on his 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman discussed things with Daly, and Gary Bettman's right-hand man was blunt, yet reserved in his opinions:

An early start means that teams like the Maple Leafs can't dilly-dally when it comes to making signings or deals. There's no word on if the free agency period will be adjusted but if not; that leaves only two months to get anything done really.

It also means that guys who need a little extra rest or R&R in the offseason either need to get it in where they can, or cut their vacation a bit short to prepare properly for the regular season.

A September start means that an August training camp is likely, so you're looking at even less time. If the season ends in mid-May, that gives teams the entirety of June and July to really get things going; but it's often towards the end of the offseason where guys get their last minute relaxation in before the season.

For the fans though, it's a hugely positive thing. We are always sitting here twiddling out thumbs for hockey to start and perhaps a sped up offseason is going to satiate our appetite.

It also means that fans are going to need to get a handle on their tickets a bit earlier and also need to decide whether that last minute family vacation is worth the price if there's a game coming up in a couple weeks.

One way the league could extend things a bit is to add another preseason game into the fray and start the season later in September but still before the typical October start date.

It would involve a lot of moving around of important dates, and the NHL really needs to do their work if they want a earlier start to work out in their favor.

But their working on it, so don't be surprised to hear about a new start date come the opening of the new CBA.