The battle for the playoffs makes the next month thrilling for a ton of NHL teams and their fans. Adding more teams to the playoffs would only mess with that, says Ken Campbell.
Victor Olofsson and Alex DeBrincatWith most NHL teams having between 15 and 17 games remaining on their 2023-24 schedules, we’ve finally emerged from the dog days of the season. You know, prior to the trade deadline when a Columbus-Anaheim matchup represents more of a grind than a hockey game.
Things are about to get exciting. Teams are fighting for their playoff lives starting now, and there’s a good chance nothing will be settled until the last day of the season. Why anyone would want to mess with that is a mystery. It took the NHL the better part of 90 years to get its playoff format right, and thankfully, commissioner Gary Bettman has vowed to stick with it.
Here’s the thing: it should be difficult to make the playoffs. The Detroit Red Wings were cruising along for most of the season but have lost seven in a row and are now outside the playoff picture. And you know what? That’s exactly where they deserve to be. There are teams that are coming on and making a run. It will be really interesting to see whether the Buffalo Sabres are simply putting together another late-season run when the games are meaningless or they’re a legitimate playoff team.
The point is, this excitement is created because it’s so hard to make the post-season in the NHL now. This is a league that once allowed almost 80 percent of the teams into the playoffs. That is down to 50, and it not only makes the late season thrilling, but the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is as good a spectacle as you’re ever going to see. This is not the Capreol Silver Stick Tournament. This is the NHL. It’s supposed to be difficult.
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