Headlines

  • Dallas Stars Activate Miro Heiskanen From LTIR
  • NHL Sets Arbitration, Offer Sheet Thresholds For 2025
  • Evgeni Malkin Considering Retirement In 2026
  • Devils’ Jesper Bratt Undergoes Surgery To Address Multi-Season Injury
  • Ducks Name Joel Quenneville Head Coach
  • Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz Ruled Out For Game 2
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Partners
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

NHL, NHLPA Making Progress On 24-Team Playoff Format

May 17, 2020 at 12:01 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 10 Comments

With plenty of options available to the NHL when it comes to resuming play, progress is being made towards a possible playoff format. According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the Return to Play Committee is leaning towards a 24-team playoff format to wrap up the 2019-20 season.

LeBrun reports, however, that there is quite a bit of work still to be done if a 24-team playoff is to become a reality, but there has been significant progress made this weekend. Talks are expected to continue over the next couple of days with the potential that a plan will officially be outlined next week as both sides are much closer on what a return to action might look like. Of course, once the Return to Play Committee does come to an agreement, it must pass through the NHL Executive Board and be approved.

On top of that, there is a Board on Governors meeting on Monday. Whether NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will have a deal ready to pass on by then is unknown unless the Return to Play Committee can come to an agreement in the next 24 hours.

The still-developing plan would not be a straight-to-the-playoffs format, however. According to LeBrun, the league will likely have some games before the playoffs would begin, likely to ease teams into playing shape after the significant break due to COVID-19. There is also the issue on whether all players will be on board to returning to action later this year as it is believed some are seriously concerned about the health and safety issues that surround a return to play.

While there are a number of 24-team format options, LeBrun writes in a separate story that there has been some opposition to a 24-team tournament, especially with teams like Chicago (32-30-8 for 72 points) and Montreal (31-31-9 for 71 points) being the last two teams to enter into the playoffs when they don’t deserve it and the concerns that a hot start after a long break could create some significant upsets in this format.

Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email

NHL| NHLPA Gary Bettman

Stretch Run Storylines: San Jose Sharks
Main
League Notes: June Draft, Phase 2, Hub Cities, NHL Awards
View Comments (10)

Comments

  1. acarneglia

    5 years ago

    Once you get in the playoffs anything can happen.

    Reply
  2. DarkSide830

    5 years ago

    my gosh that is crazy. should be fun if it happens though

    Reply
  3. met man

    5 years ago

    Hard to believe that the draft may happen before the playoffs start.Should be a very interesting format.

    Reply
  4. RedFeather

    5 years ago

    This would be dumb. So the #1 seed would play the #12 in one elimination game? Same format for March madness?!? If this is try it makes no sense. Why not Finnish out the last 5 games of the season and do a normal playoff format??

    1
    Reply
    • MoneyBallJustWorks

      5 years ago

      agree. nothing better during a Pandemic than deciding we will go back so we can finish our playoffs but add 6 extra teams of players to the mix including a Montreal team in the hot bed of COVID-19 in Canada.

      1
      Reply
    • jdgoat

      5 years ago

      I’m sure they don’t want players on teams like Ottawa or Detroit to have to risk their safety for essentially nothing.

      1
      Reply
  5. Gbear

    5 years ago

    It’s funny, millions of people across North America are going to work everyday (including myself) and not getting sick but some are worried about the “dangers” of playing hockey. I guess some are more expendable than others?

    1
    Reply
    • findingnimmo

      5 years ago

      Ha!

      Reply
  6. ericl

    5 years ago

    Montreal is 10 points out of a playoff spot in the East. They have no business being in the playoffs.

    1
    Reply
  7. MacJablonski--NotVegasLegend

    5 years ago

    NHL 2019-2020: The season that will go down in infamy, if the Mickey Mouse playoff format is adopted: ************************

    16 Teams (time permitting, 12 or 8, if crushed for time), based on 68 games played. The usual tiebreakers come into play, just as if this is an 82-game normal season. Teams will P&M about “We *could* have made the playoffs with those extra games!” – same excuse as a normal 82-game season. Sorry, don’t have so many Toilet Seat Tuesday specials, or Mail-It-In Fridays and it won’t happen. Play better and you’re in, don’t and you get better tee times while your NHL brethren are slogging it out for an extra 4-28 games for some highly desired hardware. Best of all… NO STINKIN’ ASTERISKS & NO GIMMICKS & NO DRAFT until the season is DONE! (or a small COVID-19 shaped asterisk, which we can’t ignore or avoid.)

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Dallas Stars Activate Miro Heiskanen From LTIR

    NHL Sets Arbitration, Offer Sheet Thresholds For 2025

    Evgeni Malkin Considering Retirement In 2026

    Devils’ Jesper Bratt Undergoes Surgery To Address Multi-Season Injury

    Ducks Name Joel Quenneville Head Coach

    Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz Ruled Out For Game 2

    Utah Hockey Club Announces Mammoth As Team Name

    Blues’ Torey Krug Not Expected To Resume Playing Career

    Islanders Prefer Ken Holland For GM Vacancy

    Devils Sign Arseni Gritsyuk To Entry-Level Deal

    Recent

    Metro Notes: Palát, Berard, Hollowell

    Dallas Stars Activate Miro Heiskanen From LTIR

    Panthers/Maple Leafs Notes: Stolarz, Rodrigues, Ekman-Larsson

    NHL Sets Arbitration, Offer Sheet Thresholds For 2025

    Latest On Rick Tocchet

    How Will The Colorado Avalanche Re-Tool This Summer?

    Snapshots: Ekholm, Domi, Rodrigues, Berard

    Kraken Expected To Sign Tyson Jugnauth

    Ken Holland Top Contender For Kings GM Position

    Offseason Checklist: Anaheim Ducks

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Kraken Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Mammoth Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Brock Boeser Rumors
    • Scott Laughton Rumors
    • Brock Nelson Rumors
    • Rickard Rakell Rumors
    • Mikko Rantanen Rumors

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    • Support Pro Hockey Rumors And Go Ad-Free
    • 2024-25 Salary Cap Deep Dive Series
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Primers
    • 2025 NHL Free Agent List
    • 2026 NHL Free Agent List
    • Active Roster Tracker
    • Arbitration-Eligible Free Agents 2025
    • Draft Lottery Odds 2025
    • Trade Tracker
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On X
    • Pro Hockey Rumors Polls
    • Waiver Claims 2024-25

     

     

     

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Commenting Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version