Think it’s a bit early to start predicting player rosters. Even when the vaccine has completed in the U.K. the rest of the world isn’t going to catch up, best count has been 2024 for the rest of the World. That’s just this version using current vaccine, if a more advanced strain mutation is detected that number falls dramatically. A recent Virologist wrote we only know of a small % of mutations from data collected in a handful of countries with the technology and resources to find them. It’s feasible countries already have yet unknown mutated strains.
Thats just a ”small“ issue, you’ve still got to factor in financial impacts on everyone, that goes from a buyer of a ticket, through rink ownership, suppliers, rink maintenance companies right up to the financial security of owners & the league. The long this continues the worse it’s gonna get. Yes this is negative, sorry but spitting at a house on fire isn’t going to stop it burning, neither is talking about players returning, its just going to make it feel worse if the season doesn’t start.