Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Changes The NHL Should Make When It Returns

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 21: Mitchell Marner #16, Auston Matthews #34, and Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs wait for play to resume against the Detroit Red Wings during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 21, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 4-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 21: Mitchell Marner #16, Auston Matthews #34, and Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs wait for play to resume against the Detroit Red Wings during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 21, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 4-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
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TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 7: Jason Spezza #19 of the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 7: Jason Spezza #19 of the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

It’s been two months since the Toronto Maple Leafs season stopped and who knows when it’ll return.

Although the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t played since March, there have been plenty of discussions about what hockey will look like when it eventually returns.

Describing the life we currently live is nothing but weird. Whether you’re confined to a 500 square foot apartment or mansion on the Bridal Path, everyone has had to adopt and change their lifestyle in one way or another.

Some have adjusted better than others and although it’s easy to get stir-crazy when you’re not able to enjoy some of the things you love, it’s the right thing to do, so that should make the adjustment easier.

Being an NHL player in a time like this would be much weirder than the normal human. A hockey player’s life is all about routine: Wake up, work out, eat, sleep, prepare, play and sleep again.

Every minute is mapped out with a routine or superstition. Not only that, but if the NHL resumes play this year, they’ll most likely be playing in July, which is something no player has ever experienced at an NHL level.

For those players that were battling injuries down the stretch, they’ve been blessed with the work stoppage, as they’ll be at full health when hockey resumes. To counter, there are a number of players given opportunities in the line-up due to those injuries that will unfortunately be out of a job once hockey returns as well.

Regardless, as we adjust our lifestyles throughout this pandemic, so should the NHL. Here are three changes we’d love to see the NHL make.