NHL Needs to Dump their Playoff Proposal and Take Mine

I'm not a traditional hockey guy.  Might have been at one time, but someone took my hockey team away.  I came back during the shootout era and do enjoy it.

Now that the NHL wants to re-align divisions or conferences to match geography and time zones (imagine that!), they absolutely NEED to carry this format into the playoffs.  You don't have teams battling each other four times a year so they can play a team halfway across the country when it matters.  Hell no.


So I'm going to combine those two philosophies into my ideal playoff format AKA the NHL is nuts if they don't adopt it.

1. Teams and conferences remain the same as the current proposal (per Pierre LeBrun):

Atlantic: CAR - CBJ - NJD - NYI - NYR - PHI - PIT - WSH
Central: BOS - BUF - DET - FLA - MTL - OTT - TBL - TOR
Midwest: CHI - COL - DAL - MIN - NSH - STL - WPG
Pacific: ANA - CGY - EDM - LAK - PHX - SJS - VAN

2. Top three teams in each division are guaranteed a playoff spot.

3. The fourth and fifth teams in each division have a one-game playoff for the divisional wildcard playoff spot.

4. First and second rounds are held within the division, i.e. 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3.

5. First round is best-of-five.

6. Everything else is the same as the current format.


Honestly, why bother with divisions if you don't carry over to the playoffs?  The conference wildcard is ridiculous.  We move everything around and then you could have Vancouver vs Dallas?  Come on.

Probably the second most controversial idea us the one-game playoff for the final spot.  Sure you can argue against it (regular season is meaningless! it's always been eight teams!), but look at the re-drawn matchups below and tell me you wouldn't love to see it.  Just like you secretly love the shootout.

Finally, why best-of-five?  It takes sixteen wins, not fifteen!  It ruins the tradition!  Well, it used to be two playoff rounds, best-of-seven.  They also used to play 50 games a season.  Today you can play up to 116 games including pre-season if you go to game sevens.  Losing one or two isn't going to hurt anyone and will help end the playoffs in May.

Now, on to the fun part.  I've taken the standings of each season post-lockout and used the new divisions to draw up some matchups.  Take a look:

2005-06

Carolina - (NY Rangers/NY Islanders)
New Jersey - Philadelphia

Detroit - (Montreal/Tampa Bay)
Ottawa - Buffalo

Dallas - (Winnipeg/Minnesota)
Nashville - Colorado

Calgary - (Edmonton/Vancouver)
San Jose - Anaheim

Okay, let's just top here.  I love it.  One game playoffs between Rags and Isles, Jets and Wild, Eddy and Vanny?  Yes!  And then you have a nice Cali battle too.

2006-07

New Jersey - (NY Islanders/Carolina)
Pittsburgh - NY Rangers

Detroit - (Tampa Bay/Toronto)
Buffalo - Ottawa

Nashville - (Winnipeg/Colorado)
Dallas - Minnesota

Anaheim - (Calgary/Edmonton)
San Jose - Vancouver

Good things here.  Pens vs Rags and a Buffalo vs Ottawa rematch.  And then you have Dallas vs Minnesota first round?  San Jose - Vancouver? Yes!

2007-08

Pittsburgh - (Philadelphia/Washington)
New Jersey - NY Rangers

Detroit - (Boston/Buffalo)
Montreal - Ottawa

Minnesota - (Nashville/Chicago)
Dallas - Colorado

San Jose - (Vancouver/Edmonton)
Anaheim - Calgary

I really like all those Eastern matchups.  Nash vs Chi to make it in is interesting.  Love the San Jose vs wildcard too.

2008-09

Washington - (Philadelphia/Carolina)
New Jersey - Pittsburgh

Boston - (Florida/Buffalo)
Detroit - Montreal

Chicago - (Nashville/Dallas)
St Louis - Minnesota

San Jose - (Anaheim/Edmonton)
Vancouver - Calgary

If Philly and Buffalo win, love the Eastern Conference matchups.  Nash vs Dallas is very cool to get in vs Chicago.  St Louis vs Minnesota...can you say birth of a rivalry?  And again, that's the year Gabby came back on fire at the end of the season and we got rid of Lemaire/Riser...

2009-10

Washington - (Philadelphia/NY Rangers)
New Jersey - Pittsburgh

Detroit - (Boston/Montreal)
Buffalo - Ottawa

Chicago - (St Louis/Dallas)
Nashville - Colorado

San Jose - (Los Angeles/Calgary)
Phoenix - Vancouver

Remember when Philly got in over the Rags on a shootout the last game of the season?  How about that game goes to sudden death instead?  Also, Bruins and Habs to get in vs Detroit?  I love that you're competing to see who goes up against the big dogs.

2010-11

Washington - (NY Rangers/Carolina)
Philadelphia - Pittsburgh

Detroit - (Montreal/Buffalo)
Boston - Tampa Bay

Nashville - (St Louis/Minnesota)
Chicago - Dallas

Vancouver - (Phoenix/Los Angeles)
San Jose - Anaheim

Wild in a one-game playoff during the Todd Richards, Martin Havlat, and Brent Burns era?  And if they win, they don't get Jonas Brodin?

2011-12

NY Rangers - (New Jersey/Washington)
Pittsburgh - Philadelphia

Boston - (Ottawa/Buffalo)
Detroit - Florida

St Louis - (Dallas/Colorado)
Nashville - Chicago

Vancouver - (Los Angeles/Calgary)
Phoenix - San Jose

First off, LA loses that game and we have a different Cup winner.  Another Ottawa/Buffalo rematch.  Pittsburgh and Philly still in the first round.  Detroit vs Florida sucks, but that's on the conference makers.


For Wild fans, that's potentially THREE more times the Wild make the playoffs (2006, 2009, 2011).  You can't tell me you wouldn't want to see the NHL pick up this option.