The PWHL playoffs are upon us, as is the promise of more new teams joining the PWHL ahead of the 2026-27 season.

This year, 50% of the league will remain on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. It's the same percentage used by the NHL, where 16 of the league's 32 teams make the postseason.

When the PWHL expands however, whether it be to 10 or 12 teams, the league will need to revisit their playoff pool.  A four team postseason will no longer work, and it would miss a massive opportunity for revenue, both from ticket sales and merchandise, and broadcasting as the popularity of the league continues to soar. 

There are several options for expansion of the PWHL playoffs, and given the league's history of innovation, it's not likely to be as straight forward as some believe. 

If the PWHL expands to 12 teams, an eight team playoff would leave only four teams on the outside. It's the simplest, and most straightforward approach to the playoffs. Teams would start with a quarterfinal series before advancing to the semifinals, which is where they start today, followed by the finals. 

The PWHL could look at a shorter opening series, with teams playing a best two-of-three, or they could stay with the current best three-of-five model. 

And expanded playoff picture would certainly make the league's rule allowing the top team in the playoffs to pick their opponent more interesting. At that point, it would not only be how teams ended the season, and their record against one another that would factor in, but also factors like the amount of travel an opening round would involve.

One major bonus to an eight team system, is that it could survive even beyond this round of expansion. It would be a viable model in a 12 team league, just as it would in a 16 team league in the future.

If you listen to the thoughts rattling around inside the PWHL, there are many in favor of a six team playoff. The downfalls are that more teams would fall outside the postseason, and perhaps more pressing, is that this model could only be temporary. With a 10 or 12 team league, a six team playoff format works perfectly. 

Beyond that level however, it leaves too many teams outside the postseason and would cost the league financially, and in terms of maintaining fan interest.

The PWHL's current offseason is already one of the longest in all of sport, leaving fans with little to look forward to, and only sporadic news and updates for months on end. Making the offseason longer for more markets would only amplify that issue.

In a six team system, it's likely the top two teams would receive an opening round bye as they wait to face the winners of a first round series. It would not be surprising to see the league us a two-of-three model for the play in round before the semi-finals move to the three-of-five system used today.

An expanded playoff pool benefits the PWHL significantly. Like the NHL, the PWHL is largely gate driven when it comes to revenue. The league lacks major broadcasting deals, and also lacks some of the significant sponsorship dollars other leagues enjoy. It means the ability to draw large crowds and sell merchandise remain crucial. It's a major reason the PWHL has leaned into the Takeover Tour to the extent they have, and with home attendance soaring, and the opportunity to shift playoff games to bigger in market venues, the benefit of more games for the PWHL is monumental.

With the PWHL's collective bargaining agreement capping the regular season schedule at only 32 games, expanding the playoffs makes sense for the league. For players, it makes less sense as their pay drops in the postseason. According to the PWHL's CBA, the Walter Cup winning team this season will receive a $67,101 bonus, runner-up $42,701, and the two teams eliminated in the opening round will receive $24,400. They're salary amounts that the league can easily recoup in a single playoff game in any market. For the league, an expanded playoff is profit, while for the players, at least until a more equitable CBA can be negotiated, it's the chance for a small bonus, and the right to call themselves Walter Cup champions.