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Would you want the NHL to add more teams to the playoffs?


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I remember a few years back that the NHL had ideas of having 10 playoff teams in each conference, when thr NHL still had the 3 divisional format in each conference. With the current divisional/wildcard playoff format, I could see the NHL possibly someday adding 2 more Wildcard playoffs spots, making 4 wildcard playoff teams in each conference and have them play against each other in a 1 game elimination game to determine which 2 teams advance to the round of 8.

This would encourage the bubble teams to play harder, and not tank, knowing that there are 2 extra playoff spots and being 1 game elimination wildcard playoff games could make for some exciting hockey. It could also give the top 2 division leaders a possible advantage of taking on a tired team, although, just ask the LA Kings who went through 3 game 7 series on route to winning the Stanley Cup.

Possible disavantages are that we could possibly see lesser teams, that maybe do not deserve to be in Playoffs, get in with the lower Wildcard seed and fluke their way to the round of 8. Also, because the Wildcard games are Playoff games, the losing teams of those 1 game elimination Wildcard playoff games do not participate in the NHL Draft Lottery.

It would make sense for the Eastern Conference to implement this format because they have 2 more teams then the West but realistically, this could be something we should wait until expansion for something like this to possibly be implemented?

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unless you are in the west and the 8th place team has as many points as the eastern 3rd place team?

At one point the 8th place Coyotes had more points than the 1st place Penguins did. Around the 40 game mark too.

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No. I like that you actually have to be a decent team to make it to the playoffs. Back in the early 80s over 75% of the teams made it, hence the reason we made it 6 years in a row back then, despite having a pretty poor team most of the time. It's cool that every team that makes it has worked somewhat hard to make it.

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I'd rather the top 16 teams in the league make the playoffs regardless of conference or division. Then if there isn't an equal number of eastern to western teams, have the extra team(s) from one conference cross over to the other conference.

So the playoffs might be:

Western Conference Playoffs

1. West

2. West

3. West

4. West

5. West

6. West

7. West

8. West

Eastern Conference Playoffs

1. East

2. East

3. East

4. East

5. East

6. East

7. West

8. West

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I'd rather the top 16 teams in the league make the playoffs regardless of conference or division. Then if there isn't an equal number of eastern to western teams, have the extra team(s) from one conference cross over to the other conference.

So the playoffs might be:

Western Conference Playoffs

1. West

2. West

3. West

4. West

5. West

6. West

7. West

8. West

Eastern Conference Playoffs

1. East

2. East

3. East

4. East

5. East

6. East

7. West

8. West

That would be interesting having cross-conference playoff matches, and I thought about that last year too, but the issue is the traveling. Imagine the Canucks having to travel to New York and then vice-versa. There's already a lot of complaining about traveling as is, this would just add to it.

On the topic itself, hell no. Already over half the teams make the playoffs. There's absolutely no reason there should be more.

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That would be interesting having cross-conference playoff matches, and I thought about that last year too, but the issue is the traveling. Imagine the Canucks having to travel to New York and then vice-versa. There's already a lot of complaining about traveling as is, this would just add to it.

On the topic itself, hell no. Already over half the teams make the playoffs. There's absolutely no reason there should be more.

But the Canucks would be sort of used to travelling regularly. It would actually throw off the Eastern teams who are used to bussing during some of their playoff series, to have to travel cross continent in round one.

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unless you are in the west and the 8th place team has as many points as the eastern 3rd place team?

Are u talking about the NBA (Toronto and Dallas, or even the 9th seed, Phoenix)? Because in the NHL, it was still fair in terms of points.

8th seed in West: Dallas, 91 points

8th seed in East: Detroit, 93 points

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