The current playoffs format is BROKEN

[PistolPete]

Always this one guy.

Lol

What one guy is it that I am supposed to be?

 

[geebster]

Divisions make little sense in the east because a 1 to 8 is no travel really, no matter who faces who. The west teams are far more spread out so divisions do matter a bit more. Also keep in mind a lot of this is simply because one division dominates another right now, but thats not a permanent state. If divisions were more even then the rivalry part would be a much bigger factor.

Right now the first round is a lot of heavy hitting matchups and the second round is a lot softer, but in the end if 2 teams face eachother in round one or 3, they still have to beat eachother. There is no perfect solution. In the end you play who is in front of you and the better team wins in a 7 game series most of the time.

Either you get boring first round hockey and exciting second rounds or you get amazing first rounds and mediocre second rounds. No matter how you slice it the same teams are in there. Not a big issue imo

 

[N o o d l e s]

No matter what format you choose Toronto would likely be eliminated by now and the Hurricanes still probably wouldn’t win an ECF game and that’s really all that matters. f*** the Leafs and f*** Scott Walker

 

[PistolPete]

Divisions make little sense in the east because a 1 to 8 is no travel really, no matter who faces who. The west teams are far more spread out so divisions do matter a bit more. Also keep in mind a lot of this is simply because one division dominates another right now, but thats not a permanent state. If divisions were more even then the rivalry part would be a much bigger factor.

Right now the first round is a lot of heavy hitting matchups and the second round is a lot softer, but in the end if 2 teams face eachother in round one or 3, they still have to beat eachother. There is no perfect solution. In the end you play who is in front of you and the better team wins in a 7 game series most of the time.

Either you get boring first round hockey and exciting second rounds or you get amazing first rounds and mediocre second rounds. No matter how you slice it the same teams are in there. Not a big issue imo

Travelling could be made moot- to a certain exrent- if they played in series, even two games.

 

[MikeS24]

They should change it to how it used to be.

I am sick of playing LA every first round

 

[PistolPete]

They should change it to how it used to be.

I am sick of playing LA every first round

Reminds me of the 80s PO.

11 years of intradivisional match ups

 

[catnip]

To be fair, good teams facing other good teams already in the first round is not by design. Let's say Florida really is the best of the eastern bunch. For a great team, they had a fairly middling regular season. As a result, they were the lower seed against both Tampa and Toronto, and their regular season success doesn't compare favorably to that of Carolina either. Arguably, Florida was supposed to be the weaker team in each of their matchups. They obviously weren't, but how is the playoff format supposed to "correct" for the allegedly best teams finishing the regular season out of place? What playoff scheme is going to give, say, the Avalanche an "easy" first-round matchup when they finish third in their division and fifth in their conference?

The problem may simply be that, for a variety of reasons, regular season success is not very predictive of how teams will fare in the postseason. None of the remaining teams won their divisions. The likely finalists finished third in theirs.

 

[PistolPete]

To be fair, good teams facing other good teams already in the first round is not by design. Let's say Florida really is the best of the eastern bunch. For a great team, they had a fairly middling regular season. As a result, they were the lower seed against both Tampa and Toronto, and their regular season success doesn't compare favorably to that of Carolina either. Arguably, Florida was supposed to be the weaker team in each of their matchups. They obviously weren't, but how is the playoff format supposed to "correct" for the allegedly best teams finishing the regular season out of place? What playoff scheme is going to give, say, the Avalanche an "easy" first-round matchup when they finish third in their division and fifth in their conference?

The problem may simply be that, for a variety of reasons, regular season success is not very predictive of how teams will fare in the postseason. None of the remaining teams won their divisions. Heck, the likely finalists finished third in theirs.

This harkens back to 1980 when the NYi sandwiched two first overall finishes with a 5th overall finish. I was only 3 that season so damned if I know why but I do know Potvin was injured for most of the season.

With an unbalanced schedule and teams within three or so places of each other being separated by a couple wins, you are right, there is no system that can account for all this.

It goes to my argument that the.SCPO is separate from the RS and is just a tournament that favours the hot hand just as much as it does the best team- if not more so.

 

[jackjohnson]

There are reasons that format only lasted 2 years, and was already voted to get rid of it, before the the second year of playoffs even started.

The reason is travel and the fact it doesn't make sense. Honestly they should just go back to the old format where seeding occurs based on points within each conference and home ice belongs to teams with most points. What was wrong with that? Why does NHL has to make everything so complicated that the end result is still worst compared to what it was before the changes occurred? I mean does Edmonton see LA as rivals after beating them 100 times in the first round?? They would see Florida as their biggest rival vs. LA who is in their division and they play them every 1st round. Basically NHL ended up making it worst and still not achieving their goals of creating rivalries. All it has done is have the same boring matchup every god damn year with no changes until a team improves to displace them which would take years.

 

[jackjohnson]

It's pretty clear that there are only two real teams in the league, Florida and Edmonton. The best team, and the best player.

So the other teams are fake?? I wouldn't say the rest of the league is not real, its ridiculous. In a league of 32 teams, there will always be one or two that will be the cream of the crop and thats the case in any sports league. Toronto took FLA to 7 games, a couple of bounces Toronto's way could have made them go to ECF instead of Florida. They got beat by a better team but upsets could always happen. This is why I don't buy your notion that there are 2 real teams and saying it doesn't even make sense.

 

[SharksFan1992]

Just in the East, here's how round 1 would have played out if it was 1 to 8 instead of this long in the tooth division rivalry crap:


- WSH (1) vs MTL (8) : Unchanged, WSH wins.

- TOR (2) vs NJD (7) : Fresh matchup, TOR likely wins.

- TBL (3) vs OTT (6) : Fresh matchup, TBL likely wins.

- CAR (4) vs FLA (5) : Fresh matchup, the eternal pretenders are exposed much sooner and likely out in round one.


Instead:

- We had the lopsided EDM vs LAK matchup for the thirteenth time in a row.
- Two legit contenders facing off in round 1 (x2) in TBL vs FLA and DAL vs COL.
- A brutal team like the Canes sneaking into the conference finals.
Etc. Etc.

Why is the league hell bent on this terrible format? And why is there not more noise about it among execs, media and fans?

Hated this format since Day 1. I knew these issues would happen, e.g., same matchups again and again, inadequate teams riding a weak division to the Conference Finals (2022 Oilers, 2025 Hurricanes).

I miss seeing matchups of teams you don't see often: 2011 Canucks & Blackhawks, 2012 Sens & NYR, 2013 Kings & Blues.

 

[KingsFan7824]

They should change it to how it used to be.

I am sick of playing LA every first round

Maybe Edmonton should win the division then?

So the other teams are fake?? I wouldn't say the rest of the league is not real, its ridiculous. In a league of 32 teams, there will always be one or two that will be the cream of the crop and thats the case in any sports league. Toronto took FLA to 7 games, a couple of bounces Toronto's way could have made them go to ECF instead of Florida. They got beat by a better team but upsets could always happen. This is why I don't buy your notion that there are 2 real teams and saying it doesn't even make sense.

The thing with Toronto is they don't get the benefit of the doubt. Even if they went up 3-0, do you think they close Florida out? Tough to say. Nothing says Toronto can close out a better team, and certainly not this Florida team.

If in a league of 32 teams, there will always be one or two that will be the cream of the crop and that's the case in any sports league, what are you arguing about? Florida is a machine, and McDavid is maybe the best player ever and on a mission. They are a cut above the rest. They are fully taking care of the teams that beat the other good teams. Carolina has looked lost. If not for Dallas's PP for a quarter of a period, they're down 0-3 too. What notion aren't you buying when you agree with what I said?

 

[KingsFan7824]

Hated this format since Day 1. I knew these issues would happen, e.g., same matchups again and again, inadequate teams riding a weak division to the Conference Finals (2022 Oilers, 2025 Hurricanes).

I miss seeing matchups of teams you don't see often: 2011 Canucks & Blackhawks, 2012 Sens & NYR, 2013 Kings & Blues.

The Kings and Blues played in 2012. The Canucks and Hawks played in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

 

[Il Stugotz]

The best solution is to have a panel of experts select which teams make the playoffs and seeds them by how strong they really are.

 

[TimeZone]

People cry and want to change the format because Florida is beating everybody. That isn't happening so the next thing is to get better as a team and beat them. Why do things need to change because other teams are getting dominated?

I think people generally want to change the format based on how f***ing boring and repetitive it's become more than anything based on the replies, my own personal feelings.

 

[TanguaySauce]

Real easy fix.

Division winners get the 1 and 2 seed. Everyone else is sorted by conference.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Just in the East, here's how round 1 would have played out if it was 1 to 8 instead of this long in the tooth division rivalry crap:


- WSH (1) vs MTL (8) : Unchanged, WSH wins.

- TOR (2) vs NJD (7) : Fresh matchup, TOR likely wins.

- TBL (3) vs OTT (6) : Fresh matchup, TBL likely wins.

- CAR (4) vs FLA (5) : Fresh matchup, the eternal pretenders are exposed much sooner and likely out in round one.


Instead:

- We had the lopsided EDM vs LAK matchup for the thirteenth time in a row.
- Two legit contenders facing off in round 1 (x2) in TBL vs FLA and DAL vs COL.
- A brutal team like the Canes sneaking into the conference finals.
Etc. Etc.

Why is the league hell bent on this terrible format? And why is there not more noise about it among execs, media and fans?

We can get the same matchups under the other format as well. Edmonton ended up playing Dallas for 4 or 5 straight years in the late 90s under this format.

 

[Draiskull]

So TBL beats OTT and then TML in round 2. They would still lose to FLA so in the end it doesnt really matter.

FLA finished 5th in East and werent more of a contender than CAR or TML.
Also DAL vs COL instead of DAL vs EDM is about the same in terms of 'two contenders playing in round 1'.

 

[stealth1]

We can get the same matchups under the other format as well. Edmonton ended up playing Dallas for 4 or 5 straight years in the late 90s under this format.

It's why I don't fully buy that being the reason they hate the playoff setup. As I earlier IMO some fanbases hate they get matched up certain teams I round 1.

 

[PistolPete]

The reason is travel and the fact it doesn't make sense. Honestly they should just go back to the old format where seeding occurs based on points within each conference and home ice belongs to teams with most points. What was wrong with that? Why does NHL has to make everything so complicated that the end result is still worst compared to what it was before the changes occurred? I mean does Edmonton see LA as rivals after beating them 100 times in the first round?? They would see Florida as their biggest rival vs. LA who is in their division and they play them every 1st round. Basically NHL ended up making it worst and still not achieving their goals of creating rivalries. All it has done is have the same boring matchup every god damn year with no changes until a team improves to displace them which would take years.

The NHL's primary consideration is always $.

Follow the $ and you'll find your answer.

Why 82 game season?
$
Why 4 rounds of best of 7?
$
Why conferences rather than a straight table?
$

 

[ManofSteel55]

It's why I don't fully buy that being the reason they hate the playoff setup. As I earlier IMO some fanbases hate they get matched up certain teams I round 1.

Yep, I hated being a 7th seed team facing the 2 team when it was us vs Dallas, so I get it - it sucks being the underdog every year. But when your team is a playoff bubble team, you are going to be in difficult against any team you face. It just sucks losing to the same team every year.

 

[coolboarder]

The NHL's primary consideration is always $.

Follow the $ and you'll find your answer.

Why 82 game season?
$
Why 4 rounds of best of 7?
$
Why conferences rather than a straight table?
$

If the sports is all about determine the best team, the money should not be the factor and they implemented the salary cap in 2005 and that was the worst thing happened to the league, no longer we see a best rivalry of all sports, Detroit vs Colorado full of 3rd and 4th line that would have been the first liner in other team. That was the peak hockey the world has ever seen. Teams should be bidding for players' service, not the limiting factor of building a team. Right now, you have to hope that your own draft picks pan out to get some serious depth and it's challenging to do that. This is the very reason why the playoffs has been boring. If the owner cannot afford it, perhaps, they shouldn't be getting involved with the business with the league.

 

[NVious]

Personally I think they should rotate it every decade, both ways can get stale tbh.

 

[NYRnine94]

It's why I don't fully buy that being the reason they hate the playoff setup. As I earlier IMO some fanbases hate they get matched up certain teams I round 1.

The real reason is because their teams keep losing lol come on now

 

[80s Kid]

I propose eliminating the wild card and replacing the current playoff format with a new divisional structure. My plan involves creating eight divisions and removing the conference-based schedule, focusing instead on divisional games during the regular season. In the first round of the playoffs, matchups will be a straightforward 1 versus 2 within each division. The division winners will be crowned divisional champions for the year, resulting in eight division winners advancing. From round two to round four, matchups will be seeded as follows: 1 versus 8, 2 versus 7, 3 versus 6, and 4 versus 5. The semifinals will be reseeded with 1 versus 4 and 2 versus 3. This format ensures the best possible teams reach the Stanley Cup Final, regardless of their geographic location, potentially allowing a top-two matchup from the West to create an all-Western final. It’s possible that two top teams from the same division could meet in the first round due to the schedule matrix works. The regular season will consist of eight divisional games—four home and four away—for a total of 24 games, plus two games (home and away) against each non-divisional team, totaling 56 games. This brings the regular season to 80 games, a number consistent with the traditional total from the expansion era. If the goal is to reduce the number of games, this format sacrifices only one home game’s revenue, rather than two or three games worth.

For rounds 2 through 4 of the proposed playoff series, matchups will be determined by each team’s overall regular-season record, excluding divisional game results, to establish their reseeding standings. This approach prevents a top team in a weaker division from accumulating points that secure home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, eliminating the influence of divisional win-loss records to balance competition in rounds 2 to 4 while maintaining the regular season’s importance. The teams with the best non-divisional records will be seeded 1 through 8. Due to the regular season’s unpredictability, I propose a 2-3-2 playoff series format for rounds 2 through 4 to reduce travel, while round 1 will use a 2-2-1-1-1 format.

To address concerns about travel and fairness, the top seed in each series will choose whether to start the series at home or away, minimizing complaints about playing three consecutive road games in the middle of a 2-3-2 series and reducing the risk of the away team splitting games. The top seed also selects the series format from the following options: 2-2-1-1-1, 2-3-2, 3-4, 1-2-2-1-1, 2-3-1-1 or 1-3-3. The lower seed must have at least two consecutive home games before game 4 or three home games before game 6. The top seed can determine the number of home or away games before game 4 but must ensure the lower seed has two consecutive home games before game 4. The series format must be finalized before the first game is played, adding excitement and strategic depth to the playoffs.

My proposal for realignment:

• Division 1 (Far West): Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks
• Division 2 (Pacific): Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames
• Division 3 (Mountain): Utah Hockey Club, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild
• Division 4 (Central West): Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks
• Division 5 (Central East): Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadephia Flyers, Washington Capitals.
• Division 6 (Great Lakes): Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets
• Division 7 (Atlantic): New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins
• Division 8 (Southeast): New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers

Of realignment notes and reasonings, I wanted to split up all NY based teams from one division and basically every northeast teams in Canada and the United States are so close geographically and all of those teams make sense if you remove all 3 NY teams but I aligns them based on the past playoffs rivalries that made sense. Feel free to blender this realignment but I wanted this to be 8 division with 4 teams with my new playoff proposal.

You will get only one boring round, the divisional playoff series for round 1. Rest of the way, you get some variety of match-up is what you wanted all along.

I'm sure you put a lot of thought into this but it reads like a product manual you get after buying a new lawnmower. Good luck selling this to your average hockey fan.