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Opinion on divisional playoffs


roomtemp

Divisional playoffs  

40 members have voted

  1. 1. Are you in favor of divisional playoffs

    • In favor
      10
    • Against
      30


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Let's ignore what teams go where and pretend its all even would you be in favor of divisional playoffs?

I don't care for it. You get teams out of playoffs that would deserve to get in before. Even if you add a cross over wild card spot you seem to be rewarding the team by moving them into a weaker conference for the playoffs. Plus you are going to hurt the semi finals with a strong divisional cannibalizing itself.

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It SHOULD be the top two from each division get guaranteed top seeds (reward for doing well), then the best 4 left get Wild Cards, but that would make too much sense and we know the NHL is incapable of that.....the fact that they are redoing the wheel to appease Detroit (and KILL the Chicago and St Louis rivalry in the process) is damned criminal......

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I hope they keep it the 1-8 format

 

 

Let's ignore what teams go where and pretend its all even would you be in favor of divisional playoffs?

I don't care for it. You get teams out of playoffs that would deserve to get in before. Even if you add a cross over wild card spot you seem to be rewarding the team by moving them into a weaker conference for the playoffs. Plus you are going to hurt the semi finals with a strong divisional cannibalizing itself.

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I wish that they would just do a 1-16 based on the way they rank teams now, if they're going to a 4 conference/division format. Just take the 16 teams with the most points and seed them 1-16. Then we don't have the stupidness of the best East teams playing eachother all year then in the playoffs too, just so we can 90% of the time beat the weak team that comes out of the other division. Doesn't sound fun. Couldn't they make the East one big conference of 16(like it is now) and just leave it like that?

Or even just realign the west divisions based on time zone.

Pacific Div:
VAN
ANA

SJS

LAK

PHX

NW:
WIN
CGY
EDM
COL
DAL

Central:
CHI
STL

MIN

NSH

CBJ

Put Detroit in the East in the SE for now and promise them a move to more suitable division once the NHL expands to 32. Or again, realign the whole East into new divisions

Atlantic:
NJD
NYR
NYI
PHI
DET

NE:

BOS

TOR
MTL
BUF
OTT

SE:
WSH
TBL
FLA
CAR
PIT

That obviously SUCKS for PIT, but I tried to make it so no one was weird out of their areas, but somebody had to and at least they'd stay with WSH in my set up there. My point being, that we can realign based on time zone and not mess with the formula so much.


Edit: I tried to put the divisions side by side as to not make this a page long post, but I failed at it.

Edited by ATLL765
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Why is everyone crying over the Red Wings/Blackhawks rivalry dying? Yeah it sucks, but it revives the Red Wings/Leafs rivalry. And it will develop future rivalries for the redwings. So the entire league hates playing them, not just the west :)

 

Everyone but people actually from Detroit seem to be crying about the rivalry. Wings fans really don't care, they just want to play in their time zone.

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I'm ok with trying it out for at least 1 year. The Wild Card idea is pretty good to make sure the deserving teams get in

 

though I'm 50/50 with this getting passed. A lot of fans are against it.

Edited by '7'
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Just heard something interesting proposed. Why not swap Detroit for Pittsburgh? Put DET in the ATL, PIT in the Central, NSH in the SE, Winni into the NW and MIN to the Central and then everyone's happy, right?

 

What, nobody's happy with that.  The biggest issue with Detroit and Columbus in the Central division is that as the schedule is played now, these teams have all their conference away games not against each other starting at 8 against divisional opponents.  Then they have to play away games against the Pacific and Northwest, which means 4 games at 8, 8 games at 9, and 8 games at 10.  I can't imagine the bitching and complaining that would come out of here if the Devils had to play nearly a fifth of their schedule where the games don't start until 9 PM.

 

I like the idea of divisional playoffs.  Who cares about Devils-Rangers in the Conference Finals - it could be decades before they'd meet in the Conference Finals again, the odds were already super-slim that they would meet twice there ever since they went to three divisions.  For all the rivalry Ottawa-Toronto had, they never met in the Conference Finals - there are only a few iterations which produce the certainty of meeting in a Conference Final:  If the teams were seeded 2-6, 4-7, 5-7, 6-8, and 7-8.  The rest involve the playoffs shaking out the right way, and there are tons more possible playoffs where they can't meet in the Conference final (e.g. 1-7, etc.)

Edited by Triumph
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I wonder what kind of split you'd get based on when someone became a hockey fan.

Back in the day winning your divisional playoffs was exciting and a big deal(whereas right now winning rounds 1 and 2 are nice but only a means to an end). Winning your division meant you were the champion of all your close rivals and you hated those rivals since you competed almost yearly in the playoffs.

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I don't understand how they can call it divisional playoffs with the current wildcard.

-Division A's Seed 1 could end up playing Division B's 4th/5th seed.

-Division B's 4th/5th seed wins, goes on to play Division A's 2nd/3rd winner

-Division B's 4th/5th seed wins again to win Division A's title.

-Universe implodes

or maybe I don't get the wildcard...

---

I'm fine with 4 conferences/divisions and even divisional playoffs, but just wait until they add Seattle and [KC|Hamilton|QC] and can properly balance everything.

Edited by squishyx
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What, nobody's happy with that.  The biggest issue with Detroit and Columbus in the Central division is that as the schedule is played now, these teams have all their conference away games not against each other starting at 8 against divisional opponents.  Then they have to play away games against the Pacific and Northwest, which means 4 games at 8, 8 games at 9, and 8 games at 10.  I can't imagine the bitching and complaining that would come out of here if the Devils had to play nearly a fifth of their schedule where the games don't start until 9 PM.

 

I like the idea of divisional playoffs.  Who cares about Devils-Rangers in the Conference Finals - it could be decades before they'd meet in the Conference Finals again, the odds were already super-slim that they would meet twice there ever since they went to three divisions.  For all the rivalry Ottawa-Toronto had, they never met in the Conference Finals - there are only a few iterations which produce the certainty of meeting in a Conference Final:  If the teams were seeded 2-6, 4-7, 5-7, 6-8, and 7-8.  The rest involve the playoffs shaking out the right way, and there are tons more possible playoffs where they can't meet in the Conference final (e.g. 1-7, etc.)

 

Divisional playoffs sound interesting until you realize they're using 8 team pods instead of 5 team pods.

 

I absolutely hate this format, the best teams should make the playoffs.    Travel dictates the playoffs can't be fully open, but closing them up makes no sense.   Not to mention it doesn't help when a new format gets leaked every day.   Makes it look like no one has a clue of what they're doing.   Feels like the NHL is going backwards in regards to this compared to everyone else.

 

If they are going to 32 it's inevitable but it would make a tad more sense to wait until they go to 32 to do it.     You can move the divisions around to help   *most* of these teams in the 6 of 5 format.

I wonder what kind of split you'd get based on when someone became a hockey fan.

Back in the day winning your divisional playoffs was exciting and a big deal(whereas right now winning rounds 1 and 2 are nice but only a means to an end). Winning your division meant you were the champion of all your close rivals and you hated those rivals since you competed almost yearly in the playoffs.

 

Pens - Hurricanes

Devils - Caps

 

Devils - Hurricanes

 

Devils

 

 

You feeling that bracket?   Feels like a normal round 1-2 to me.

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Divisional playoffs sound interesting until you realize they're using 8 team pods instead of 5 team pods.

 

I absolutely hate this format, the best teams should make the playoffs.    Travel dictates the playoffs can't be fully open, but closing them up makes no sense.   Not to mention it doesn't help when a new format gets leaked every day.   Makes it look like no one has a clue of what they're doing.   Feels like the NHL is going backwards in regards to this compared to everyone else.

 

If they are going to 32 it's inevitable but it would make a tad more sense to wait until they go to 32 to do it.     You can move the divisions around to help   *most* of these teams in the 6 of 5 format.

 

Pens - Hurricanes

Devils - Caps

 

Devils - Hurricanes

 

Devils

 

 

You feeling that bracket?   Feels like a normal round 1-2 to me.

 

 

So worst case scenario is you end up with the same whatever matchups you have now.  You play those same teams over and over again and real passion builds up amongst those fan bases.  That's not really a guess, that's how it used to be.

 

I don't know that the passion would happen again now that the Internet and TV is so much more prevalent, but I imagine that's what the league is going for.  In the past, divisional playoffs helped create rivalries and I think it probably would do so again, if given time.

 

The league is sort of damned if it does, damned if it doesn't.  When the league moved away from divisional playoffs people were upset because they were ruining rivalries, now the league wants to go back to that format and people are also upset.  

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The odds of things like maxpower's 'weak bracket' are very slim.  If we assume that all teams are equally likely to make the playoffs, in an 8 team bracket and let's just assume 4 get in to make it easier, the Devils, upon getting in, would have a 43% chance of playing either the Penguins, Flyers, or Rangers in the first round.  

 

I mean you can just as easily draw up an 8 team playoff where no rivals play each other at all.

Edited by Triumph
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The odds of things like maxpower's 'weak bracket' are very slim.  If we assume that all teams are equally likely to make the playoffs, in an 8 team bracket and let's just assume 4 get in to make it easier, the Devils, upon getting in, would have a 43% chance of playing either the Penguins, Flyers, or Rangers in the first round.  

 

I mean you can just as easily draw up an 8 team playoff where no rivals play each other at all.

 

But they're playing the team as is:

 

Since they went to the old "new" system:

 

Buffalo 

Boston x 3

NYR X 5

Montreal

Ottawa x 3

Pittsburgh x 3

Florida x 2

Toronto x 2

Philadelphia x 5

Carolina x 4

Tampa x 2

 

That's off the top of my head, I may have missed on here and there.

 

31 playoff series.

17 against the new 6 team pod (wouldn't have played Columbus)

14 against the other 8 team pod.

 

I don't think it's going to cause huge significant change, these are teams they've been playing half the time anyway.

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Huh?  They would play them way more often than half the time.  Consider also that it's not the Devils' birthright to make the playoffs every year.

 

The Rangers and Flyers have met twice since they went to the new system, and none since 1997.

 

The Islanders and Rangers met once.  I recognize the Islanders only made the playoffs 4 times in the new system, but still.

 

Point is, the teams in the pod would become bigger rivals by virtue of the schedule, and then they'd play more often in the playoffs.  You'll get a lot of carping by superfans who follow every playoff series starting to call rematches that don't involve their team boring, but they are silly.

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Huh?  They would play them way more often than half the time.   Consider also that it's not the Devils' birthright to make the playoffs every year.

 

The Rangers and Flyers have met twice since they went to the new system, and none since 1997.

 

The Islanders and Rangers met once.  I recognize the Islanders only made the playoffs 4 times in the new system, but still.

 

Point is, the teams in the pod would become bigger rivals by virtue of the schedule, and then they'd play more often in the playoffs.  You'll get a lot of carping by superfans who follow every playoff series starting to call rematches that don't involve their team boring, but they are silly.

 

I haven't even gotten into that yet, that I feel the teams in our pod are being schemed on a bit.

 

BTW, the Rangers haven't played alot of playoff series themselves.   You're not going to hit repetitive matchups if you don't go often and you almost never win when you get there.

 

It remains to be seen what the system is.   There's a new one leaked every day.     If it's a locked system, yeah, maybe they'll hit on the "desired" matchups more often than not.   I'm just not sure it's worth the cost of the change.   Having "better" 1st round series are at a cost of everything that comes afterwards.

 

If there's a cross-over (wild cards), though, right there starts the cheapening of the concept.    And gives cynical people like me more of a case that this has nothing at all to do with building playoff rivalries.

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I don't see how there's not wild cards.  And I don't see how that's at the cost of the 2nd round - the 2nd round would be better too.  And as I said, the 3rd round is rarely a divisional matchup as it is, and you'd figure to get more repetitive third rounds because you've sheltered the teams from one another.

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I don't see how there's not wild cards.  And I don't see how that's at the cost of the 2nd round - the 2nd round would be better too.  And as I said, the 3rd round is rarely a divisional matchup as it is, and you'd figure to get more repetitive third rounds because you've sheltered the teams from one another.

 

The second round is going to be a crapshoot.   It's 2 out of 8 teams.   Yeah, the potential matchups are limited but 2 out of 8 is pretty open.   The attractiveness of this is hitting on money series in the first round.

 

With the wild cards, the thing is, if there's a crossover, there's going to be years when the concept is cheapened.   Especially if they do WC 1 WC 2, instead of 4th place teams being seeded 4th in their division if a crossover is not necessary.

 

I just feel like this is being done for the benefit of a couple of teams, and no more.   And I hate that all of these "power" teams business wise got lumped with each other, with two patsies from Florida (who will not be able to compete with them, even with the "improved" road gate) thrown in even though the alignment makes travel concerns seem like a farce.

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The second round is going to be a crapshoot.   It's 2 out of 8 teams.   Yeah, the potential matchups are limited but 2 out of 8 is pretty open.   The attractiveness of this is hitting on money series in the first round.

 

I don't agree.  You will have some repeat 2nd rounds, or teams that face each other twice in three years, etc.  

 

With the wild cards, the thing is, if there's a crossover, there's going to be years when the concept is cheapened.   Especially if they do WC 1 WC 2, instead of 4th place teams being seeded 4th in their division if a crossover is not necessary.

 

It would be monumentally dumb to do it this way, but we'll see how it shakes out.

 

 

I just feel like this is being done for the benefit of a couple of teams, and no more.   And I hate that all of these "power" teams business wise got lumped with each other, with two patsies from Florida (who will not be able to compete with them, even with the "improved" road gate) thrown in even though the alignment makes travel concerns seem like a farce.

 

Those teams are still under a salary cap, which I think is the biggest thing that no one's taking into account.  You've got a salary cap and 30 teams, so you're less likely to have dynasties and furthermore you're going to have more playoff turnover as parity increases.  I'm too lazy to compare, but we had 10 years between lockouts and then 7 years this time around - I bet the playoff matchups during this lockout were more varied.  Chicago and Vancouver played each other 3 times, and the Devils and the Rangers played 3 times.  I guess Boston and Montreal did too, I think?  Either way, that's not a lot.  People love to cite things like Edmonton-Dallas, but that's just not likely in a capped 30 team league with loser points.  

 

The conference moves will be because of a few teams, but I think divisional playoffs aren't.  And the Southeast sucks, and part of why it sucks, aside from all the teams being bad all the time, is that there's no rivalry.  And there's no rivalry because, IIRC, since they went to 6 divisions, 2 Southeast teams have met in the playoffs one time, in 2003.

Edited by Triumph
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