Debate topic:
If the playoffs were to start today, the 2nd & 3rd best teams in the NHL would play in the first round.
By the end of the second round two of the top three teams in the entire NHL will be eliminated from the playoffs!
Dallas and/or Minnesota are better off dropping down to the first wild card spot than finishing higher in the standings.
How is this good for the league? It punishes excellence, kills potential blockbuster matchups in later rounds, and undermines the entire 82-game (soon 84-game) regular season grind. Teams battle all year to earn the highest possible seed and the advantages that come with it, only for the format to throw that merit out the window.
Division rivalries, less travel, it changes every year. Yes, those factors exist. But they don’t justify a system where the best teams knock each other out early while lesser seeds move on.
The fair, logical fix: Go back to true conference seeding 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5. Reward the regular season. Protect the top teams. Deliver better, more meaningful hockey throughout the playoffs.
It’s mind blowing to me that more GM’s aren’t more vocal for this change.
Thoughts???
I’ll hang up and listen ✌️