Toronto Maple Leafs: Expanded Playoffs Just a Greedy Cash Grab

The Toronto Maple Leafs once had to participate in a “play-in” series, and it was awful.

in 2020, after the balance of the season was cancelled, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs had to play a five game series in order to “qualify” for the proper playoffs.

The series was five games, instead of seven, so luck was a far bigger factor than in the normal playoffs, as seen by Columbus holding the Leafs to under 2% shooting (an NHL record for a playoff series).

This had the effect of making the previous 72 games feel completely meaningless.  What is the point of playing for six months so that you can enter a series that amounts to a coin-flip?

This does nothing to determine who the best team is, it just helps find out who the luckiest team is.   It was acceptable because it was the start of the pandemic and there were no vaccines yet.

But as an actual part of every NHL season? It’s a bald-faced cash-grab that could only be deployed by absolutely shameless hucksters. 

The kinds who don’t care about the morality of wall-to-wall gambling ads, nor the trashiness of disgracing jerseys with advertisements. 

Just Say No to Expanded Playoffs

At one point, the NHL used to let 16 of 21 teams make the playoffs.  That was preposterous and, frankly, idiotic.  But it should not be used as an argument for letting more teams into the playoffs today.

The regular season actually matters.

You play 82 games, and if you are in the top half of the league, you get to keep playing.

In my opinion, the current playoffs have way too much variance, making it too random, and making it too hard for the actual best team to win.

For instance, I’d like to see the teams seeded 1 to 16.

If the two best teams are in the same conference, they should be able to face each other for the Stanley Cup.

Cheapening the regular season so that some rich guys can add a few more bucks to their accounts isn’t a good idea.  Fans see through it, and they resent it.

There must be a good reason to do things, and if that reason is greed it won’t fly.

I have a compromise.

The regular season would still be valuable.

The owners could squeeze in more games.

And the best teams would have an advantage.

Best of 11 opening  round series.  The first team to win six games advances.  The NHL gets a chance for each series to be four games longer, and upsets will happen far less frequently.

This also ensures that no loser teams that should miss the playoffs get lucky and ruin everyone’s fun.  It makes the game better (by making upsets less likely) and adds revenue, but it improves the game, and doesn’t cheapen it.

You’re welcome.