Most players have been quiet since the NHL pause was announced on March 12 amid the spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some of the league's brightest stars have begun to weigh in on the big issues and uncertainty surrounding the sport.
One such topic includes how to finish the season off if play resumes at some point. There were 189 regular season games remaining when it was paused.
"I mean you try to get in as many games as you can I think, but I wouldn’t mind starting right at the playoffs," Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby told media members including Sportsnet on a video conference call organized by the NHL Thursday.
"For me, the more games we play it’s going to be better for our fans and it’s going to be better for the teams who are fighting for the playoffs, but I’d rather start the playoffs right away," Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said. "Sorry guys."
It's easy for Crosby and Ovechkin to talk about jumping right into the playoffs. The Capitals were in first place and the Penguins in third in the Metropolitan Division when the NHL paused.
If things picked back up in a timely fashion and the playoffs began in a traditional sense (top eight teams in each conference get in), it would be tough luck for teams outside the first two Wild Card spots in each conference like the Blackhawks in the West.
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"I think (the standings) look pretty good right now," Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid joked with outlets like ESPN during Friday's call. His team sat in second place in the Pacific Division at the time of the pause.
"But you want a fair season. And a fair season is a full season," he added. "If we can do that, I think that's something we'd obviously prefer."
McDavid doesn't believe there would be enough time for players to get their bodies ready to compete at the high level the usual postseason requires.
"I don't think we can just step into the playoffs and Game 1, it's Calgary coming to Edmonton, and guys are running around trying to kill each other that haven't played for two months," he said. "It'll end up the [AHL] Stockton Heat vs. the Bakersfield Condors if that's the case. We want to keep the guys healthy."
"You can't eliminate teams that are in on points percentage," Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano said Friday. "I think you go 12 and 12 (in each conference). More teams get in this year. Maybe a couple byes at the top, and play it out."
If there were to be enough time and 12 teams from each conference made the postseason as is after potentially resuming, the Hawks, who held the sixth Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, would be in luck.
Time will tell if the spreading of the coronavirus pandemic subsides enough to allow for a resolution in which the Stanley Cup is awarded to a team for the 2019-20 season, but there is a possibility the Hawks could end up being in the mix after failing to make the playoffs the last two years.
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