NHL sticking with current playoff format for now: report
With the Stanley Cup Playoffs now just one week away, folks are especially ticked off about the unjust postseason format chosen by the NHL.
So what better time to extend it by one season then, eh?
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the NHL and NHLPA have agreed to stick with the bracket-style structure currently in place through the 2019-20 season. LeBrun notes that the two sides will continue to debate the merits of having teams play through their divisional rivals first, but the earliest we could see a change to the playoff paths will be the 2020-21 season.
What’s in place now is only really a contentious issue in certain markets — mainly the ones that belong to divisions that are oversaturated by good teams. But it doesn’t change the fact that as it stands now, regular season performances aren’t justly rewarded or punished.
This year, Boston and Toronto will meet despite sitting second and fifth, respectively, in the entire league, with the winner moving on to a likely match up with the NHL’s top team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Fortunately, the Atlantic Division is the lone “region” disproportionately impacted by the divisional format. Last season, with the balance of power belonging to the Atlantic and Central Divisions, the four highest-ranked teams in the regular season met in the second round of the playoffs.
Pairing up all 16 entries in a re-seeding format would certainly provide the most balanced and equitable matchups. But considering the logistical stresses on series played between time zones, a return to seeding the conferences remains the most sensible solution for the NHL.
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