Restart Notes: Rosters, Player Tracking, Edmonton Arena, Bubble

The NHL held a call with reporters today to go over some of the final elements of the NHL’s return which officially gets underway next weekend in Toronto and Edmonton.  Here are some of the important parts from that call (all links to Twitter).

• Final rosters had to be submitted today by 4 PM CT, relays Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. A maximum of 31 players are allowed while teams can only bring 52 people into the bubble.  While teams are still a couple of days away from travelling there, the league needs the time to properly vet each roster.  Teams will have an opportunity to evaluate a couple of extra players in next week’s exhibition game, however.  Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that teams will be able to dress an extra forward and defenseman for that contest, noting that a couple of GMs made that request when the exhibition schedule was cut to just the single game.
• Player and puck tracking have seemingly been on the horizon for a couple of years now but it has been delayed. While it seemed like this would provide the perfect opportunity to test it out, it will not be in place through the first two playoff rounds, mentions Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.  However, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly didn’t rule out the possibility of it happening once the Conference Finals begin and play is limited to just one facility in Edmonton.
• Speaking of Edmonton’s facility, it sustained some damage from a recent storm. However, as NHL.com’s Dan Rosen notes, NHL content and events chief Steve Mayer indicated the damage has been repaired and the equipment replaced so there are no lingering issues or concerns about hosting part of the NHL’s return.
• One of the lingering questions has been what the punishment would be if a player leaves the bubble without approval. As Postmedia’s Derek Van Diest points out, those players will be sent home and won’t be allowed back in.  This isn’t expected to affect those who will be leaving for family matters, such as Washington’s Lars Eller.