The only adjustment the NHL needs to make in the 24-team playoff format “reportedly favored”

If the NHL is going to end its season, the “supposedly favored” 24-team playoff format needs to be changed.

Like the world continue browsing In the COVID-19 crisis, sports leagues around the world have brainstormed ideas on how to operate within any new framework of normalcy that remains afterward. The NHL is no different, throwing out various ideas on how the game could resume.

“That’s why you have to look at all the options, balance them, and try to make good judgment, “NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, according to NHL. com. “And we are doing it with comments from our clubs, obviously. We are not sitting on our own saying, ‘This is what we are doing, period.’ “

According to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, the most popular candidate Among the return playoff scenarios are the following:

• The top 6 teams from each division would meet in a designated city.
• Seeds No. 1 and No. 2 would play a three-game set to crown a division winner.
• The other two matches would be No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5, each playing their own best-of-three series for the right to advance.
• This would give up any remaining games from the regular season.

There are many good things to unpack in this proposal. The most fundamental aspect is the return of hockey, which could be a vital distraction as society endures these difficult times. The stakes would be high immediately, taking advantage of an unlimited pool of hockey interest.

It is a less extreme implementation of the quarantine bubble idea. With 24 teams spread across four cities, it is easier to contain. Non-competitive teams like the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings aren’t forced to participate in meaningless games, and with two teams going home almost immediately, it only reduces the risk factor.

Also, it is worth considering that being a host city to one of the divisions could be a boon to the local economy. Fans probably won’t be in the stands, but it’s revenue for hotels, restaurants, and other businesses included within each quarantine bubble. And as a result, Spector says “between nine and 12 teams” are pushing for opportunity.

“It’s like bidding at an Olympiad,” said one NHL executive: according to Sportsnet. “He knows he is competing against other cities, but he is not sure who they are.”

However, this scenario would punish the most competitive divisions. While virtually eliminated teams like the Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabers would receive a new life as No. 6 seeds, both the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks would be left out. The Rangers are particularly interesting because they are only two points from a wild place.

However, there is an easy solution. Instead of using the top six teams in each division, the league should award three playoff spots to the top three teams in each division and six wild card positions in both conferences. It is still a 24-team playoff and would run with the best 12-point totals in the Eastern and Western Conference qualification. Dividing teams into four host cities would work similarly if the league did it by division, but some discretionary calls would have to be made (the Metropolitan division would have seven participants and one would have to group with the Atlantic).

Will there be some outliers? Probably. If the Florida Panthers have to spend a long period away from home in a place like Toronto, that puts them at a disadvantage. But these are unusual times, concessions will have to be made and teams must accept that ending the season in any capacity is a victory, especially a financial one.

Additionally, the league would have to purchase a significant number of coronavirus test kits. If the evidence is not widely available by then, it becomes an ethical dilemma as to whether the league should withdraw the evidence from the healthcare industry.

The league could compensate for these problems by following the example of Italian football. According to The Irish Times, Italy’s Serie A clubs have pledged to donate five coronavirus test kits for each they use once they start training for the resumption of the season.

The return of hockey in any capacity would be a welcome sight, and the 24-team playoff has many attractive aspects. But before the league can be established in a fair and competitive format, the world must advance in the fight against the ongoing pandemic.

“Ultimately, the decision will be made by doctors and people who are in governments at all different levels, “Bettman said.” Therefore, we are not going to try to do anything that goes against what we are told is appropriate. “