24 Team Playoff Talk to Continue

The NHLPA has voted to move forward in talks to create a 24 team playoff to crown a Stanley Cup champion. This vote will move over to the NHL Board of Governors to approve of this playoff format.

The playoff will work as follows. The top four teams of each division will play in a tournament to decide the seeding for the next round. This allows for the top teams to get an advantage in the playoffs, but still get used to playing hockey again after the long quarantine. The top four teams in the Eastern Conference are the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, and Philadelphia Flyers. In the Western Conference the top four teams are the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars.

The remaining 16 teams will compete in a best-of-five playoff. The winners of each matchup will move on to play one of the top four teams in their conference, based on seeding and point percentage. The matchups in the Eastern Conference will be: the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Islanders against the Florida Panthers, and the Carolina Hurricanes against the New York Rangers. In the Western Conference, the matchups will be: the Calgary Flames against the Winnipeg Jets, the Edmonton Oilers against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Vancouver Canucks against the Minnesota Wild, and the Nashville Predators against the Arizona Coyotes.

There are multiple issues that come with starting up the NHL season. First of all, safety is a big concern. If one player gets sick how will the NHL respond? Also, where will the games be played? There are many cities that are targeted as spots to host the 24 team playoff; like, Las Vegas, Columbus, Nashville, Raleigh, St. Paul, and Edmonton. However, we will never be certain if one of these cities will get a spike in Covid-19 cases. We also do not know when the playoffs will start. There are many factors into choosing a time to begin play, and we may not see action for a few more weeks, maybe even months.

Although there are many concerns, it is still reassuring that steps are being taken to begin hockey again. There are many unknowns, but it is great to see that the NHL is trying there best to show there fans some actions.