NHL Playoff Format

Right now the NHL playoffs feature sixteen teams making the playoffs. My problem is not with the number of teams, but the current way in which their match ups are set up. Right now eight from both the Western and Eastern conferences make the playoffs, and each conference features two wild cards. with the other six teams being the top three teams in each division. Most years this will get us the top 16 teams in the NHL. However, what happens when there's a power tip in the league like we are seeing now? The first round matchups should be easy for stronger teams, but right now strong teams are playing each other in the first round. Another troubling issue, is that under the current format it isn't necessarily the top 16 teams in the NHL that make it. There is a lot of evidence for changing the playoff format again, but would the NHL ever do it?

Under the current format the West plays the West and the East plays the East until the Stanley Cup finals. However, under this format there is a chance that a very strong team gets eliminated early, earlier than they should be eliminated. These are what the match ups from last seasons playoffs were.

Ducks/Stars
Sharks/Kings
Avalanche/Wild
Blues/Blackhawks
Bruins/Red Wings
Lightning/Canadiens
Penguins/Blue Jackets
Rangers/Flyers

There are at least two if not three or four match ups here with fairly strong teams. Blues vs. Blackhawks and Sharks vs. Kings being the obvious ones. Why should two teams that strong have to play each other first round? Here is what I propose. Strip the divisions, and strip the conferences and go straight up first place versus sixteenth. Here is what last years playoffs would have looked like.

Bruins/Stars
Ducks/Red Wings
Avalanche/Blue Jackets
Blues/Flyers
Sharks/Rangers
Penguins/Wild
Blackhawks/Kings
Lightning/Canadiens

There are still some strong teams playing each other, but at least now a lot of the really strong teams would be guaranteed to advance a round. There will still be surprise teams, but there always are. Now, I believe we have a truer look though at where each team falls. Now if a good team is eliminated early we know they were not that good. They will have lost to the weakest possible team they could have played given their position, and not a strong, but low seed in their own division. Match ups aren't the only problem under the current format either.

There is one other problem that could arise from the current playoff format. What if the teams that make the playoffs aren't the true top 16 teams in the NHL?  Right now, a lot of the West is a lot better than the East, and most of the West could beat the East. It's only a matter of time before one or two teams are out of the playoffs who had more points than a team in the other conference. When it does the fans of those teams who are out will be upset, and wonder why. Maybe that is the only thing which will spark a conversation about going to a straight top 16 teams format. However, would the NHL ever do it?

Despite how much sense it makes to go to a straight 1 vs. 16 playoff format I have serious doubts as to if the NHL would ever do it. One reason is how to schedule. With conferences and divisions meaning nothing in terms of making the playoffs, the schedule might have to be changed so that the conferences play each other more. I'm not sure how much of a problem this would be for the NHL, but it could be a stumbling block. How much do you keep the schedule within the divisions and conferences for the sake of rivalries and traveling? How much do the conferences play each other for the sake of standings? I think this is an issue that could be solved, but there is one I'm not sure if it ever would be taken care of, and might be what ultimately stops this format from ever happening. Tradition.

I think the NHL has too much tradition living in the divisional or conference format to make it mean nothing. If it's up to them traditionalists might never let a sixteen team playoff format happen despite the logic there is in executing it. Some people will be willing risk a couple bad match ups and a couple better teams missing the playoffs for being in the wrong conference in order to keep the division and conference format alive.

There is a lot of evidence to make the NHL playoffs a one through sixteen format. Right now the match ups don't work as well, and there is a possiblity of a better team missing the playoffs due to a strong conference. However, it likely won't happen due to potential difficulties with scheduling, and tradition. Traditionalists would likely never let this format happen and I believe that it is a mistake.

Don't doubt me, this debate is coming, likely after a team misses the playoffs that has more points than a team in the other conference. It didn't happen last year, and it might not happen this year, but when it does it will start the debate of a straight sixteen team playoff format, and it probably won't be pretty.


-Darren


-What do you think of the NHL playoff format? Keep it or Change it? Let me know what you think. Either comment below this post or find me on twitter @thewildman111


photo taken from sbnation.com