When the NHL changed it’s playoff format at the start of the 2013-2014 season, the goal was to create better divisional rivalries and in turn, a more entertaining playoff picture for the fans. However, there is a large sector of fans and even NHL executives that have seen enough as we cross the decade mark since this format change.
The prior playoff format saw teams in the East and West face off in a “best plays worst” style seeding where the first place team in each conference would play the eighth, the second plays the seventh, and so on. In this format, the top three seeds in each conference were awarded to the teams who placed atop their respective division. That format is flawed in its own rights as there were times where a team would seed lower than one that had less points, because of the division system, though many would agree it’s minor in comparison to some of our current format’s blemishes.
Because of the Covid-19 breakout that shortened the 2019-2020 NHL season, the league saw a format that hadn’t been used before. A 24 team playoff format was implemented to account for the discrepancy in games played at the time of the season being canceled. This format saw the top four teams of each conference duking it out for a reseed of the top four while the other eight would battle in a play-in round for the right to challenge in the first round. Although this was a one-off gimmick because of the pandemic, it seemed to be a big hit for the fans and has been a topic of conversation since to allow for more teams to enter the playoff picture.
The current format has gotten stale. Even though it has created bitter rivalries such as Los Angeles versus Edmonton, and Toronto versus Tampa Bay, these matchups have gotten old as we see them every year. It’s also been a large complaint that teams who rank higher in the regular season don’t get to play the worst teams as a reward, as the matchups are more difficult than the opposing format.
Should the NHL consider changing the playoff format?@JShannonhl weighed in on that, the #Canucks first round match up and more!
Full interview..https://t.co/m2xd1oQIKQ pic.twitter.com/CrHtBPqMHW
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) April 19, 2024
In addition, the current standings tiebreakers have been a cause of controversy, allowing for teams that aren’t always deserving to squeak into the playoffs. This year the Washington Capitals secured the final Eastern conference wildcard spot despite having fewer wins than the Detroit Red Wings who were tied in points with them. The tiebreaker was regulation wins, which was revised from the previous overtime + regulations wins which also would have heavily favored Detroit. The Capitals also finished the season with a minus 30 goal differential being one of the worst among teams to make the playoffs all time.
Fans and executives alike have many proposals for what the NHL should do going forward in regards to their playoff format. From doing away with the wildcard spot, to adding a play in like the NBA to decide the final spots. After ten years it is due time for the NHl to make a format change.