Greg Wyshynski May 14, 2026, 07:30 AM ET Close Greg Wyshynski is ESPN's senior NHL writer. The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs began nearly a month ago. Six teams remain in the tournament, and 10 teams have been cast into the abyss. There are lessons to be learned from this intense, remarkable postseason, about teams and players and what we expect from the NHL. Here are six hard lessons from the Stanley Cup playoffs: Lesson: We underestimated the impact of the condensed schedule Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill has worked in NHL front offices since 1991. He has rarely experienced a season this exhausting. "In all my years in hockey, this was probably one of the most demanding regular seasons I've ever gone through," he said. "That's the whole league. It's not only us but the whole league with the scheduling travel and the injuries." The NHL's return to the Winter Olympics meant compressing the 2025-26 schedule to compensate for the multiweek break in February.…