From frank_seravalli: A closer look at the NHL's 24-team playoff proposal. MORE:
Exactly 10 weeks after the National Hockey League pressed pause on the season, the league and the NHL Players’ Association have hashed out an initial framework of how the Stanley Cup may be awarded in 2020 with a 24-team playoff format, pending approval from both sides.
But for the first time in months, hockey fans could soon be able to sink their teeth into the bracketology that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman loves. While that round-robin is occurring, the remaining eight teams would square off in best-of-five, play-in series. NHL GMs have privately expressed their frustration with bracketing the playoffs, with some arguing the rounds should reseed. Their argument is that the regular-season points accrued by the top teams should warrant them the best matchup possible. For instance, if No. 12 Montreal beats No. 5 Pittsburgh, GMs feel No. 1 Boston should get to face No. 12 Montreal instead of the winner of the matchup between No. 8 Toronto vs. No. 9 Columbus.
Many hurdles remain, including development of a comprehensive COVID-19 testing plan, acquiring those needed tests, then putting the logistics into action to bring two or four arena complexes to life as host sites with hundreds of players, personnel, and support staff in the bubble. But with the bracket as constituted, Calgary and Winnipeg would square off in Canada’s first one-anthem playoff series since 2014-15.The NHL is not close to naming hub cities yet, other than whittling the group down to eight or nine potential hosts. The league wants to remain nimble, waiting until the last possible moment to see how the pandemic shifts with regard to hot spots.
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