Commissioner Gary Bettman: “No Need To Change Stanley Cup Playoffs Format”

“Everybody’s got a price for the Million Dollar Man”

Except for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Gary Bettman Says No To Expanded Stanley Cup Playoffs

While other leagues want to expand their playoffs, Commissioner Gary Bettman wants to keep the current structure/format of the Stanley Cup Playoffs the same. In an interview with the media on Wednesday, Bettman stated the NHL has no interest in expanding its playoff format to include more teams or games. Unlike where he previously worked in the NBA, where they instituted a new play-in tournament during the 2020-21 season. Even the NFL and MLB have expanded their playoffs.

But Bettman believes that the current format of 16 out of the league’s 32 teams making the playoffs puts more importance on regular-season games. “ The reason this is as good as it is is that the regular season and playoffs are meaningful,” said Gary Bettman to the media. “Having half of our teams eligible I think is the right balance, I think it creates great competition throughout the regular season. It makes the games most meaningful and there’s nothing like our playoff tournament, the Stanley Cup is the hardest to win, and there’s nothing in any sport like our first round.”

There may come a time when the NHL does expand their playoffs, but right now is not the time. Bettman does not care what other leagues did. He wants to do what is best for the NHL.

“Listen, I love the fact that people are so passionate about the game that there’s always a debate about what we can change, but change for the sake of change, or change, because somebody else is doing it differently, under the right circumstance, can make sense, but for us right now, we like where we are. We think the game’s in really good shape,” Bettman continued. 

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And you know Bettman is right no matter how much you disagree with him on this topic and others. Just look at the teams that made the Stanely Cup Playoffs this season. 13 of 16 teams had over 100 points including all eight Eastern Conference teams. The next two teams in the East that were close were the New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Both finished 16 and 19 points behind the Washington Capitals. You are telling me these teams deserve to be in the playoffs. As Bettman points out, what is the point of playing 82 games then? The Islanders and Blue Jackets both had chances to get in. And they failed to capitalize on the situation. Over in the West, things were a little closer, the teams that missed the playoffs the Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks also had plenty of chances to get into the dance and did not do it.

This is not the first time expansion playoff talk has been brought up. When the league returned to play in the Playoff Bubble in 2020, the NHL expanded to 24 teams. The top four teams got a bye and there was a best of five play-in round. While it was exciting, teams that had secure playoff positions got bounced in the first round. That year was different, and it made sense. Now it does not make sense. Just look at the NBA play-in round. Teams were just getting blown out. It did not make for good television.

Yes, it creates extra revenue, but that is the only thing it does because it is not good basketball. Similar to March Madness. We all love it, but the conference regular-season winners do not have an advantage heading into the tournament. If the NHL were to expand, the same thing would hold, your coach should get fired for not making a tournament where more than half the league gets in.

Even college football is trying to expand and finding it difficult to do because they want to preserve the regular season and championship weekend. Every game is a playoff game in college football’s regular season. Games down the stretch matter, as we saw in the NHL this season… especially in the Western Conference.

While Bettman did say the league has talked about tweaking the playoff format here and there, the league decided it was best to keep it the way it is. There is so much excitement around the first round of the playoffs. Why ruin it?

The Stanley Cup Playoff format is fine just the way it is. If you want to go back to the old day of one through eight playing each other, that’s not a terrible idea. Either way, a good team was going home early in the first round of the playoffs.