NHL and Gary Bettman facing calls to change Stanley Cup playoff format

Fans across the continent constantly complain that it's always the same NHL teams making the playoffs. Should the NHL look to switch how teams qualify?

The playoffs can sometimes feel like you're stuck in a time warp, that the result is just all the same from year to year. The NHL's current playoff format, designed to create parity, might be the true culprit.

The league's format locks the top three teams from each division into playoff spots, leaving four wildcard spots to round out the field. It pits powerhouse teams like Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Boston against each other early, giving fans some intense first-round action but robbing these teams of deeper runs reflective of their dominance during the regular season. Often, this set-up can make these series feel like Conference Finals in disguise, like that 2016 tilt between St. Louis and Chicago that really could have easily been for the Western Conference title.

We could return to a fairer system that allows Cinderella matchups and underdog stories if the league returned to its pre-2013 format. For one thing, the bracket was so much more balanced: #1 seed versus #8, for example. That greatly increases the opportunities for those Cinderella runs to happen.

Teams like the 2006 Edmonton Oilers or the 2002 Carolina Hurricanes would have unexpectedly found their way to the Finals under that system, adding an element of excitement and unpredictability. Who can forget the Cinderella run by J.S. Giguere and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks? Situations like those are few and far between today, unfortunately.

Since 2013, playoff repeats have considerably increased to the extent that in 2023, 13 out of the 16 playoff teams were once more returning from the previous year. This predictability is what eliminates the excitement of new competition. If the NHL is looking for a more varied and exciting set of match-ups, they really should strongly reconsider reverting back to the older format, a system that worked well for over 25 years.

Fans want Gary Bettman to make the change back to what it used to be ASAP. Clearly Sidney Crosby, the face of the NHL, agrees too!

À LIRE

Il y a 8 heures  |  Par Cédrick Gervais Kent Hughes a reçu une offre très intéressante pour Arber Xhekaj et nous avons les détails

Il y a 11 heures  |  Par Will Austin Congédiement à venir pour Patrick Roy avec les Islanders? Ça brasse et cette possibilité est avancée

Il y a 13 heures  |  Par Will Austin Le futur remplaçant de Gary Bettman à titre de commissaire de la LNH serait déjà connu?

Il y a 14 heures  |  Par Nicolas Desrosiers Un journaliste très apprécié des fans quitte RDS après 17 ans de services

Il y a 15 heures  |  Par Cédrick Gervais Martin St-Louis a pris une importante décision pour le match face aux Golden Knights

Il y a 17 heures  |  Par Nicolas Desrosiers Développement important impliquant Patrik Laine: il est au Centre Bell avec le reste du Canadien

Il y a 18 heures  |  Par Nicolas Desrosiers Les exigences salariales pour une prolongation de contrat de Jake Evans seraient maintenant définies

Il y a 19 heures  |  Par Cédrick Gervais Nous savons maintenant pourquoi Tomas Plekanec est dans l'entourage du Canadien de Montréal ces derniers jours

PLUS DE CHRONIQUES