The Nashville Predators might still get to compete for the Stanley Cup after all. After the National Hockey League suspended the 2019-2020 season in March, due to COVID-19, the Predators are now part of a 24-team Return To Play Plan, to wrap up the season, and award one team the Stanley Cup.

“We are hopeful the Return To Play Plan will allow us to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup in a manner in which the health and safety of our players, on-ice officials, team staff and associated individuals involved are paramount,”  NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “Accordingly, an essential component of the Plan is a rigorous, regular schedule of testing. On the hockey side, the return-to-play format reflects the League’s extraordinary competitive balance, while honoring the tradition and integrity of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“The Return To Play Plan is the result of weeks of constructive dialogue with the National Hockey League Players’ Association and we are grateful for their cooperation,” he continued. “We also thank our consulting health experts and the local, regional and national authorities who are helping steer us through a complex set of issues.”

Under the Return To Play Plan, the Predators would take the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Prior to games being suspended because of coronavirus, the Preds were vying for the wild-card spot. The spots were determined based on point percentage as of March 12, which is when the season was halted. The new plan would have the Predators competing against the Arizona Coyotes in a best out of five series.

The Return To Play Plan would have games taking place in two major cities. Nashville requested to be one of the two cities, but was not chosen. If the plan goes into effect, the games would most likely continue without fans in attendance. A specific start date has yet to be announced, but would likely begin in late July or August.

More information can be found by visiting the Nashville Predators website.