Letters from Edmonton by Wild beat writer Sarah McLellan

Editor's note: Sarah McLellan is covering the Wild during the NHL postseason in her birthplace of Edmonton, Alberta, but first must spend 14 days confined to her hotel room. She'll write regularly to her father, who now lives in Arizona, with an update on life with limited freedom.

Dear Dad,

Hockey is on the horizon.

The Wild is traveling to Edmonton today, along with 11 other Western Conference teams while the 12 Eastern clubs descend on Toronto, and the games will restart Saturday. This is really happening. It still feels a bit surreal, but my excitement is only growing by the day.

Players will not have to quarantine for 14 days like I'm doing. The NHL received an exception from the Canadian government, with players kept away from the public in the bubble and screened regularly. Still, they're being instructed to stay mostly in their hotel rooms for the first five days

With a best-of-five series against Vancouver on deck, the Wild will at least be here through Aug. 6. But if it keeps moving on, the team could be living out of the bubble into October. That would also mean I'll be here into October.

So, how did I pack for such an unpredictable stay?

The essentials are easy to identify, like toothpaste, shampoo and deodorant, but I wanted to make sure I had enough to last potentially a few months. Since I usually use travel sizes on the road, that meant doubling up in some instances or bringing normal-sized bottles. Add in other hair products, makeup and extraneous items like nail polish and polish remover, and one half of my suitcase filled up quickly.

Figuring out the clothing situation was by far the toughest part. I loaded up on comfy pairs of pants, shorts and T-shirts since I knew I'd be in my hotel room for the first two weeks. But the challenge was what to wear once I got out of isolation.

For the games, I selected four dresses, one skirt and five pairs of dress pants. The key was picking tops that could mix and match with the bottoms, a tactic I later learned Jared Spurgeon of the Wild also used when packing. In the end, I decided on quite a bit of black, white and pink with some red and blue — basics that I could alternate to create new outfits. I also threw in a few pairs of jeans and some more casual options for once I was out of quarantine but able to leave my hotel.

I had the same strategy for shoes, identifying pairs in neutral colors like black and white that I could match to different looks. Once I added sandals and runners, I had 10 pairs — a very manageable number for a shoe lover like me!

Now you know how I arrived at two 50ish-pound suitcases and a hefty duffel bag.

Take care.

Love,

Sarah