The National Hockey League (NHL) has announced their plan to return to the ice by ending the regular season and going right into the playoffs if the season resumes. The playoffs will be a 24-team format as the top twelve teams from each conference will advance to the postseason. The playoffs will be played in 2 hub cities that have yet to be determined.
Using the regular season standings from March 12th, here is the projected playoff bracket when play resumes.
NHL Eastern Conference
Byes: 1. Boston, 2. Tampa Bay, 3. Washington, 4. Philadelphia
5. Pittsburgh vs 12 Montreal
6. Carolina vs 11 Rangers
7. NY Islanders vs 10. Florida
8. Toronto vs 9. Columbus
NHL Western Conference
Byes: 1. St. Louis, 2. Colorado, 3. Vegas, 4. Dallas
5. Edmonton vs 12. Chicago
6. Nashville vs 11. Arizona
7. Vancouver vs 10. Minnesota
8. Calgary vs 9. Winnipeg
If the season returns, teams can have small-group workouts starting in early June, and Training camp no earlier than July 1st.
My Thoughts
Well this some what of good news to hear! I’m glad that there is now a plan for the NHL if the season returns. I think that this will help the NBA and the MLB to figure out how they want their season to resume. I wasn’t surprised to hear they cancelled the regular season. If they continued on from the regular season, the season would probably extend to probably August or September. I think that this was a good decision by the league to push forward with this plan if play is resumable.
It may not return until July, but Hey it’s a plan!
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