from Mike Chambers of the Denver Post,

Winning the Stanley Cup usually takes equal parts will and skill. It takes 16 victories to hoist the Cup, and normally teams are banged up heading into the tournament grind.

While the reformated, 24-team 2020 playoffs might lead to more games played by the champion, each team will enter the fray at nearly 100% health due to the season being shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic. So, from the outset of this unusual proposed summer series, it will be more about skill than will.

“It’s a grind, right? The silver lining in this situation is that most teams are going to be virtually healthy. When does that happen?” said former Avalanche analyst Brian Engblom, now with the Tampa Bay Lightning. “You get a team like Columbus and Colorado, who both were severely nicked up in March. They had a lot of guys hurting. Look at Columbus. Seth Jones is healthy again. Without Seth Jones how much chance do you give Columbus?”...

Avs defenseman Ian Cole, a two-time Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has remained in Denver during the COVID-19 crisis. He, too, is excited to begin the playoffs in an unprecedented format.

“You’re going to have every team at full health, for the most part,” Cole told The Post. “Obviously, there are some extended injuries that you can’t take into account, but you’re probably going to have the healthiest playoffs the NHL has ever seen, which could lead to a pretty awesome product.”

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