Some thoughts about how the post-season should look
In an Associated Press and Canadian Press survey of player representatives from all 31 National Hockey League teams, 48.4 per cent favoured changing the current divisional playoff format. Some player responses:
“In my opinion, I prefer the one-plays-eight format. Divisions that are stronger have teams eliminated in the first round that should have a chance to gather steam and make pushes deeper into the playoffs.” — JONATHAN TOEWS, Chicago.
“Everyone knows what it should be: one through eight. The way it used to be.”
— JUSTIN FAULK, Carolina.
“I can’t think of a player that really likes the way it is. It always seems to work out where one division is significantly stronger like last year with Winnipeg and Nashville playing in the second round and absolutely beating the crap out of each other to seven games.” — DEVAN DUBNYK, Minnesota.
“I think there’s the concern with the top teams playing against each other and clashing at the beginning, where you’re kind of losing one of the top three seeds of the NHL just from the first two rounds of the playoffs. So I don’t know if anything is really necessary to change, but it would definitely would be interesting and fun if they wanted to do that.” — BRANDON CARLO, Boston.
“I think there’s pros and cons to both. It obviously gives those division matchups for the first round are given. And I think that’s exciting. I think if you’re in a position if you’re a 2-3-4 seed, you would have loved to have a better matchup. If you’re the two seed you’re playing the three seed. That might be tough. I totally get that. I don’t really have a bone to pick with it right now.” — ANDERS LEE, N.Y. Islanders.
“You might play a team over and over, but that’s how you create the rivalries, but, at the same token, some teams might get a better matchup if it was one through eight. There’s pros and cons. It’s tough to say. I think it’s been working well to be honest, and I don’t see that changing too much.”
— DYLAN DEMELO, Ottawa.
“I like it. I do. It keeps a little bit of the appreciation as far as how hard it is to win the Stanley Cup. I might be biased, but it’s the hardest trophy to win in sports I feel. I think you change that format and personally it would take away from how hard some of those guys have worked to win the
Cup before they did change it. That’s how I would feel. I like the format that we have now.” — ZACH BOGOSIAN, Buffalo.