Tim Benz: NHL playoff expansion ideas are unnecessary, reward mediocrity
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There has been a lot of talk this year about the NHL expanding its postseason format so that it becomes akin to what we see in the NBA.
A “play-in” type of model that allows for the ninth and 10th seeds in each conference to play their way into the traditional quarterfinal bracket, by pitting the survivor of the two teams against the loser of a No. 7 vs No.8 showdown.
Not identical to what we saw in the coronavirus bubble of 2020. But not entirely dissimilar. Some want the 7-10 play-in idea to become single elimination after the regular season ends. Others want the idea to become a best-of-three series.
I just want the idea to die a quick death, regardless of form.
The NHL doesn’t need expanded playoffs. Yeah, I get it. More revenue. More tension. More postseason excitement. Sure.
But when does the quality of postseason teams matter? And at what point does playing a full 82-game schedule become anything more than pure folly? I mean, isn’t that a long enough swath of time to determine the top eight seeds for postseason play?
Cutting postseason eligibility at eight teams per conference makes sense. You need eight teams for a three-round, quarterfinal format in each conference. Ten teams becomes arbitrary and silly.
I don’t see grinding through 82 games to determine 12 worthy playoff teams (six from each conference), and eight additional semi-worthy teams (four from each conference) as a particularly worthwhile endeavor.
This season’s standings are a perfect example of the random nature of when such an idea would look good and when it wouldn’t.
In the Western Conference, the current wild card qualifiers as the seventh and eighth teams are the Nashville Predators (94 points) and the Dallas Stars (93 points). The teams that, as of Tuesday morning, would be left out in ninth and tenth place are the Vegas Golden Knights (90 points) and the Vancouver Canucks (87 points).
So, from that standpoint, I get it. That makes some semblance of sense. The bottom four teams are fairly close in point totals.
But in the East, the Penguins (101 points) and the Washington Capitals (100 points) currently hold the seventh and eighth highest totals. So they’d have to play their way in against the New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets. They have a meager 80 and 79 points, respectively.
That hardly seems fair to me. Nor does it make the regular season worthy. At all.
All this effort to restructure in the name of creating games to reward mediocrity? No thanks. Count me out.
Then again, if Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell all leave via free agency before next year, a ninth or tenth slot in the 2023 play-in round may be the only way into the postseason for the Penguins anyway.
In this week’s hockey podcast with Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network, he and I discuss the ideas to tweak the NHL playoff format. We also talk about the Penguins’ place in this year’s bracket. And we dive into Tuesday’s game between the Pens and Edmonton Oilers.
Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer talk NHL playoffs and the Penguins place in them