The NHL is working hard to iron out safety protocols to resume its season and award the Stanley Cup sometime this summer.
A 24-team playoff at two or four hub cities without fans seems to be the most popular idea — one that may push the start of the 2020-21 season into next year.
But former NBC and Avalanche analyst Brian Engblom sees a crack in any plan to resume the 2019-20 season before the U.S. and Canada have a better handle on the coronavirus pandemic.
A little more than 30% of all NHL players are from Europe, where COVID-19 case numbers are relatively small in countries like Finland and Sweden.