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An infectious disease specialist suggested on Monday that for hockey to be played safely amid the coronavirus pandemic, extreme measures may be needed, including players wearing full-face shields.

Vancouver Canucks prospect Brogan Rafferty is the first player to publicly question the idea.

“If that’s the case, a lot of players will be upset with it,” Rafferty told The Province's Ben Kuzma on Tuesday. “A lot of guys don’t even wear a visor, and to have them put a full-face shield on, is not going to go over well - and I can kind of guarantee that.”

The NHL began grandfathering in visors in 2013.

Rafferty played the 2019-20 campaign in the AHL, where he was able to wear a visor. But he spent the previous three seasons at Quinnipiac University, where NCAA rules forced him to wear a full-face shield.

“It’s tough in college when you’re breathing and have that extra layer blocking your face and keeping air from getting into your system,” Rafferty said. “That was an adjustment and it took me a good week or two just to get used to that. With a visor, your peripheral vision is a lot better and when you look down at your skates, you don’t have that (full shield) guard there.

“And I don’t see the point of having to wear a clear face mask. You’re going to be around your team anyway and everyone will probably be tested, so I don’t see the merit in my opinion.”

Despite the suggestion from a medical expert, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly doesn't think drastic changes will be needed if the league is able to resume play.

"We would consider anything our infectious disease experts and advisors might recommend," Daly said. "But I'm not sure given the circumstances of our game that any dramatic modifications will really be necessary."

The 24-year-old Rafferty finished third among AHL defensemen with 45 points in 57 games this campaign after the AHL officially canceled the remainder of its season on Monday. He's played two career NHL games, both with the Canucks in 2018-19.

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is optimistic the league will find a way to resume the 2019-20 season and said canceling the campaign outright is "not something I'm even contemplating," according to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News.

Appearing in a virtual town hall with San Jose Sharks business members on Tuesday, Bettman expressed confidence that a champion will ultimately be crowned this season.

"I believe that if the right time comes, and the right circumstances, based on all of the options that we're considering and our ability to execute them, we'll get this season done," Bettman said. "I don't want to sound Pollyanna, but canceling is too easy a solution. That means you stop working hard to do all of the things that we're doing, and I ultimately believe that there will be an opportunity."

The NHL halted play on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Players and staff are still in self-quarantine, but the league hopes to initiate Phase 2 of its return plan by late May.

"States are reopening, cities are reopening," Bettman said. "And if we do the right things, I think we'll be able to finish the season."

Though details are still unclear, ESPN's Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan report the NHL is leaning toward jumping straight into the playoffs upon return.

Reported playoff proposals include a 24-team tournament featuring the top 12 clubs in each conference, as well as the traditional 16-team format.

Multiple players, including superstars Connor McDavid and Marc-Andre Fleury, said in late March the league shouldn't immediately begin the postseason, citing rust and player safety. The NHL has since said teams will hold training camps to help players get back into game shape before returning.

There have only been two instances in NHL history in which the Stanley Cup was not awarded - during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1919, and the lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season.

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After Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced that major professional sports could resume in the state with certain stipulations as of Saturday, it seemed to open up the possibility the region could be a top contender to host postseason hockey. However, that's apparently not the case.

The idea that Arizona - which will have its stay-at-home order expire on Friday - is now a leading candidate to be a hub for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is "completely false," a league source told The Athletic's Craig Morgan on Tuesday.

After initially considering holding games at neutral sites, the NHL has more recently been entertaining the notion of hosting games in several hub cities if and when it proceeds with its paused campaign.

Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver have all reportedly expressed interest.

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Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced Tuesday that major professional sports can resume playing in the state as of Saturday.

If any sports leagues were to resume in the state, they would have to do so without fans.

The announcement came as part of Ducey's COVID-19 update in his state. Arizona's stay-at-home order will expire on Friday, the governor said.

Ducey added that Arizona has had discussions with various league commissioners about playing in his state.

North America's three major sports leagues currently in-season - Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, and the National Basketball Association - as well as the MLS and WNBA, are all currently on hiatus due to the pandemic. Each league has been pursuing alternate plans to either continue or begin their current seasons.

At one time, MLB was reportedly considering isolating all 30 teams in the Phoenix area to play the season across multiple spring-training facilities and the Diamondbacks' Chase Field. Fifteen baseball teams have their spring headquarters in Arizona.

The NHL's Arizona Coyotes said they "are aware of Governor Ducey’s announcement and will await direction from the NHL," according to a statement obtained by Mark McClune of CBS 5 Arizona.

The Arizona Cardinals responded by noting they still require a go-ahead from the NFL before resuming team activities at their facilities, according to McClune.

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Elias Pettersson was taken aback when Wayne Gretzky spoke glowingly of him last year.

In April 2019, "The Great One" told Swedish publication Expressen that he saw a lot of his own attributes in the Vancouver Canucks phenom.

"That young man in Vancouver has really impressed me," Gretzky said at the time, according to a translation quoted by the Vancouver Courier's Daniel Wagner. "We always compare athletes with each other and if there's anyone who reminds me of myself, it is Elias Pettersson. For several reasons. Firstly, he may not be the best skater or has the hardest shot, and he is not the physically biggest player on the ice but he sees the ice so well. And he has a great understanding of the game.

"But the most important thing is his work ethic. If he loses the puck he immediately tries to win it back. Many young players make an extra turn and take some time to do so, but not Elias. He's right there and is fighting to get the puck back again."

Pettersson was stunned by that comment.

“It's unreal, especially because it's him noticing my game," he told The Athletic's Thomas Drance this week. "It's so unthinkable.

"I never thought I’d become the player I am today, I didn't know I'd have success like this so early in my career. For the greatest of all time to say that about me, I didn't think it was real at first. Just awesome."

Pettersson won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie for 2018-19 after collecting 28 goals and 66 points in 71 games. He matched that point total in three fewer contests of 2019-20 before the league paused the season in March.

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Arizona Coyotes president and CEO Ahron Cohen is no longer with the organization, multiple sources told The Athletic's Craig Morgan.

The team hired Cohen as its chief operating officer and chief legal officer in August 2015 under previous majority owner Andrew Barroway. Cohen replaced Steve Patterson as the club's president and CEO in July 2018.

Arizona enjoyed improvements in several key areas under Cohen's headship, including ticket sales, attendance, sponsorship sales, and TV ratings.

It remains unclear who will succeed Cohen.

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An infectious disease specialist believes hockey may have to take extra precautions to be played safely during the coronavirus pandemic.

The doctor relayed a number of suggestions to TSN's Ryan Rishaug on Monday:

• Full face shields, potentially modified to further reduce the spread of droplets
• No fighting
• No scrums after whistles for linesmen to break up
• Coaches to practice social distancing and wear face masks on the bench
• Wingers to maintain two feet of distance on faceoffs instead of the traditional crossing of sticks and leaning into the same space
• No spitting on ice or the bench

Some of the recommendations - such as no scrums or spitting, for example - may be difficult to enforce during a game. Any such changes would have to be approved by the NHL Players' Association before they could be implemented, Rishaug notes.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly doesn't think the drastic measures will be needed.

"We would consider anything our infectious disease experts and advisors might recommend," Daly told Rishaug. "But I'm not sure given the circumstances of our game that any dramatic modifications will really be necessary."

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