NHL’s proposed 24-team playoff format could become the norm from now on!

While we expect the end of the 2019-20 season to be something hockey fans have never seen before, it seems like it may be getting fans ready for the new norm. 

According to Michael Traikos of the Toronto Sun, the NHL’s proposed 24-team playoff format could be what fans get to see from now on. 

For the past week or so, the NHL has been focused on getting hockey back to fans by proposing to jump right into the playoffs with 24 teams competing in as few as two hub cities for the Stanley Cup. While the league is working hard at getting this approved by players, Traikos believes that the NHL is also looking to make this the norm. 

“The reason for adding another eight teams into the playoff mix this year is mostly out of necessity. When the season was paused on March 12, there were a handful of teams on the bubble with a dozen or so games remaining on the schedule. It’s not fair to take the standings as they are today. Nor does it make sense for a team such as Detroit, which is already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, to come back and play for nothing.

Of course, the real reason for expanding the playoffs is that it puts more cash in the owners’ pockets.”

And we all know how much Gary Bettman loves to have money! Therefore, Traikos might be on to something: it could be the new format from now on. 

“Do you honestly think the owners, who could potentially lose more money next year if fans are still not allowed back in the buildings, will want to go back to 16 teams? No chance.”

What do you think? Would you like the new format to be the new norm in the NHL?