Adam Proteau: No changes required: current NHL playoff format is just fine, thanks With the NHL playoffs a few weeks away, some people will turn their attention to the league's post-season format. But although the current structure that encourages divisional play isn't perfect, a 1-8 seeding system isn't all that different, either – and the reality is, the best franchises don't lean on seeding to secure a Stanley Cup championship.

I prefer the 1-8 setup and do not like this current system at all. I hope they scrap it after this year. This method takes away some of the benefit of having a good regular season as the 2 and 3 seeds play each other and not a 6 and 7 seed. Ridiculous! Sorry Adam...I do not agree!

The NHL needs to stick with the current system, if for no other reason than making continual changes smacks of being the gimmicky garage league that the NHL often proves itself to be.

If the NHL needs playoff matchups to be rivalries in order to attract viewers, the league is screwed.

Each playoff round is worth millions in revenue. Teams that invested in a roster that gets a top seed deserve every advantage to have that investment pay off. For some teams, losing in the first round to a difficult opponent versus beating the easy opponent in the first then losing to a difficult one in the second is the difference between keeping & losing a third line winger next year.

They have to fix that mentality of letting people be hit with blatant elbows or being boarded because its "Playoff hockey".

I don't see any other professional sport where the standard rules for physical play change when its the playoffs.

I prefer the 1-8 setup and do not like this current system at all. I hope they scrap it after this year. This method takes away some of the benefit of having a good regular season as the 2 and 3 seeds play each other and not a 6 and 7 seed. Ridiculous! Sorry Adam...I do not agree!
- Crushers68

Ditto. I liked the old format.

I love that the current format emphasizes divisional, regional rivalries, and increases the likelihood of multiple rematches over several years. For me nothing beats those matchups and that consideration trumps everything else. I like that it leads to some Clash of the Titans matchups in the first round, because those top teams are fresh and not blown apart by injuries yet. Let them go at it, rather than have more series that are lopsided.

I have a crazy idea, open to criticism

Top 8 teams in each conference, seed them 1-16. #1 seed gets to choose their opponent. #2 team chooses next and so on.

second round, highest seed remaining chooses first, and this continues to the finals

Being the highest seed should have some perks. How many times does a team get tough opponent in first round. I'm looking at you LA, sneaking into playoffs a few years ago.

Benefits:

1. Final 2 teams could be from same conference. Who doesn't want to see Boston vs Montreal for the cup? Or Toronto /Montreal. NYR/NYI. LAK/Ducks. Edmonton/Calgary. And many more good options.

2. Press conferences before each round. ( possibly set up like the NHL draft)With coach and gm from each team. They take the stage and choose opponent. Press then has time to ask questions? Why this opponent? How do you match up? How does it feel that the #1 seed picked you? Etc.
2A. Advertising revenue The NHL could sell the "Playoff match up show, sponsored by corporate Canada and/or America " round 1,2 and 3. Spoiler alert, the NHL loves revenue.

3. Locker room material for team being picked early

4. Possible strategy, Ex. Seed 7 (Detroit). Can pick team seed 10 (NYR). Seed 8 (Chicago). Or seed 9 ( LA). Do they pick NYR? The lowest seed? Or pick CHI? And make LA and NYR play a long distance series.
Other strategy could mean picking to make sure 2 other teams meet up. Possibly a higher seed playing an opponent who matches up well against them.

5. Even more pressure for coaches and gm's. Upsets would have to be answered for. Why did you pick that team? Why could not shut down their star player? Etc


Anyway. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.

I hate this unable to quote thing.

I have a crazy idea, open to criticism

Top 8 teams in each conference, seed them 1-16. #1 seed gets to choose their opponent. #2 team chooses next and so on.

second round, highest seed remaining chooses first, and this continues to the finals

Being the highest seed should have some perks. How many times does a team get tough opponent in first round. I'm looking at you LA, sneaking into playoffs a few years ago.

Benefits:

1. Final 2 teams could be from same conference. Who doesn't want to see Boston vs Montreal for the cup? Or Toronto /Montreal. NYR/NYI. LAK/Ducks. Edmonton/Calgary. And many more good options.

2. Press conferences before each round. ( possibly set up like the NHL draft)With coach and gm from each team. They take the stage and choose opponent. Press then has time to ask questions? Why this opponent? How do you match up? How does it feel that the #1 seed picked you? Etc.
2A. Advertising revenue The NHL could sell the "Playoff match up show, sponsored by corporate Canada and/or America " round 1,2 and 3. Spoiler alert, the NHL loves revenue.

3. Locker room material for team being picked early

4. Possible strategy, Ex. Seed 7 (Detroit). Can pick team seed 10 (NYR). Seed 8 (Chicago). Or seed 9 ( LA). Do they pick NYR? The lowest seed? Or pick CHI? And make LA and NYR play a long distance series.
Other strategy could mean picking to make sure 2 other teams meet up. Possibly a higher seed playing an opponent who matches up well against them.

5. Even more pressure for coaches and gm's. Upsets would have to be answered for. Why did you pick that team? Why could not shut down their star player? Etc


Anyway. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.
- OCHONEELY

Not gonna lie I love this idea. Honestly I thought of something similar but less fun:

My idea was to keep the divisions but allow seed 1 to choose whether they wanted to play seed 16 or the worse team in their division, giving them some option but also keeping rivalries alive as teams may be more comfortable playing their rival they crushed 6 for 6 times than an LA that squeaks in. And of course continue for seed 2 and on.

But I think your idea is MUCH BETTER. More of a spectacle, which the league only profits with, and far more strategy and advantage for higher seeded teams, which may encourage rental trades early in the year.

Love every second of this idea.

I have a crazy idea, open to criticism

Top 8 teams in each conference, seed them 1-16. #1 seed gets to choose their opponent. #2 team chooses next and so on.

second round, highest seed remaining chooses first, and this continues to the finals

Being the highest seed should have some perks. How many times does a team get tough opponent in first round. I'm looking at you LA, sneaking into playoffs a few years ago.

Benefits:

1. Final 2 teams could be from same conference. Who doesn't want to see Boston vs Montreal for the cup? Or Toronto /Montreal. NYR/NYI. LAK/Ducks. Edmonton/Calgary. And many more good options.

2. Press conferences before each round. ( possibly set up like the NHL draft)With coach and gm from each team. They take the stage and choose opponent. Press then has time to ask questions? Why this opponent? How do you match up? How does it feel that the #1 seed picked you? Etc.
2A. Advertising revenue The NHL could sell the "Playoff match up show, sponsored by corporate Canada and/or America " round 1,2 and 3. Spoiler alert, the NHL loves revenue.

3. Locker room material for team being picked early

4. Possible strategy, Ex. Seed 7 (Detroit). Can pick team seed 10 (NYR). Seed 8 (Chicago). Or seed 9 ( LA). Do they pick NYR? The lowest seed? Or pick CHI? And make LA and NYR play a long distance series.
Other strategy could mean picking to make sure 2 other teams meet up. Possibly a higher seed playing an opponent who matches up well against them.

5. Even more pressure for coaches and gm's. Upsets would have to be answered for. Why did you pick that team? Why could not shut down their star player? Etc


Anyway. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.
- OCHONEELY

That Idea rocks

I have a crazy idea, open to criticism

Top 8 teams in each conference, seed them 1-16. #1 seed gets to choose their opponent. #2 team chooses next and so on.

second round, highest seed remaining chooses first, and this continues to the finals

Being the highest seed should have some perks. How many times does a team get tough opponent in first round. I'm looking at you LA, sneaking into playoffs a few years ago.

Benefits:

1. Final 2 teams could be from same conference. Who doesn't want to see Boston vs Montreal for the cup? Or Toronto /Montreal. NYR/NYI. LAK/Ducks. Edmonton/Calgary. And many more good options.

2. Press conferences before each round. ( possibly set up like the NHL draft)With coach and gm from each team. They take the stage and choose opponent. Press then has time to ask questions? Why this opponent? How do you match up? How does it feel that the #1 seed picked you? Etc.
2A. Advertising revenue The NHL could sell the "Playoff match up show, sponsored by corporate Canada and/or America " round 1,2 and 3. Spoiler alert, the NHL loves revenue.

3. Locker room material for team being picked early

4. Possible strategy, Ex. Seed 7 (Detroit). Can pick team seed 10 (NYR). Seed 8 (Chicago). Or seed 9 ( LA). Do they pick NYR? The lowest seed? Or pick CHI? And make LA and NYR play a long distance series.
Other strategy could mean picking to make sure 2 other teams meet up. Possibly a higher seed playing an opponent who matches up well against them.

5. Even more pressure for coaches and gm's. Upsets would have to be answered for. Why did you pick that team? Why could not shut down their star player? Etc


Anyway. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.
- OCHONEELY

This is crazy enough to work. You make a lot of points about how crazy and interesting this could get. Normally I wouldn't go for such a big change but this is really, really interesting.

The old 1-8 format was WAY better. There are too many times the #2 and #3 in the division would be in the top 4 of the 1-8 seeding but one of them are guaranteed out 1st round. The change wasn't too bad at the start but trust me it's going to get boring seeing the exact same matchups every single year. The 1-8 seeding had much more diversity in the matchups.

In the swedish floorball league (scandinavian sport similar to hockey but without skates) they have a 8 seed playoff where the top teams choose opponent for first round. Then the semi finals are played between winners of the #1 seed matchup and the #4 seed matchup and vice versa.

This year 3 out of 4 quaterfinals ended in 5 games or less. Easier matchups means shorter series and thats a risk that need to be considered, because the "choosing ceremony" will never revenue more money then actual games themself.

If the nhl would use this system and a team has secured a seed between 5-8 then they have absolutely nothing to play for more then good form for the playoffs.

Personally i dont like the format. Im old school and think a 1-8 seeding system is how it should be. Im also totally uninterested in the type of commercial "ceremony" that you suggested (but its the nhl so it would be dumb to assume that they would do otherwise ).