But that excitement comes with a cost. The best matchups happen early, leaving later rounds feeling a bit weaker. Under the current system, teams are primarily seeded within their divisions rather than strictly by conference standings. It’s been a hot debate in and around the NHL since the current format was introduced for the 2013-14 season. But nothing seems to have lit a fire under those against the playoff setup more than what’s happened this year.

The first round saw battles between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild as well as the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning. They were hard-hitting, fun, exciting series. The problem was that two of the league’s best teams were guaranteed to be eliminated in the first round. 

Dallas and Minnesota were the second and third-best teams in the Western Conference, respectively. But because of the seeding system, one was going home. In the Eastern Conference, Tampa Bay and Montreal were third and fourth, respectively. 

Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference’s seventh and eighth seeds faced each other, guaranteeing a lower-seeded team a spot in the second round. Not to knock on the seasons that Pittsburgh and Philadelphia had, but it rubbed fans the wrong way. 

Now, the calls for change have grown louder than ever. Fans appear ready to go back to the 1-8 seeding in the conferences to make sure the later-round matchups are between the truly better teams. 

• WATCH | Upcoming Stanley Cup Playoff Schedule

Despite the growing criticism, though, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t appear eager to make a change. 

The NHL is happy with the Stanley Cup Playoffs

Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images

Appearing recently on The Pat McAfee Show, Bettman was asked about the current Stanley Cup Playoff format and whether they would ever go back to seeding 1-8.

“What we have has worked really well in terms of the series that develop; in terms of how the playoffs play out; in terms of the races to get into the playoffs with the wild card, our regular season goes down to the wire for virtually all of our clubs,” Bettman said, adding that with the format, they get longer series in the opening round. 

“We had six of our eight first-round series went at least six games. That’s extraordinary. You get more games. You get more compelling seasons.”

Bettman said he understands that there are those who prefer other ways of doing things. However, his standpoint is that he believes the current playoff structure is working well for the NHL.

“I don’t see the need for a change, but we always talk about everything,” he said. “If there are things we can do to tweak what we do and make it better, we’re not averse to at least considering it.”

For now, despite growing criticism from fans, the NHL appears committed to keeping its current playoff structure in place. 

How To Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs with NHL.TV on DAZN?

With exclusive rights, DAZN is the only international platform to watch the NHL, offering access to over 1,300 games per season, available live* and on demand. That includes over 1,300 regular-season games, as well as the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Stanley Cup Finals.

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• Download the free DAZN App from your normal App store on your TV, phone, tablet, or streaming device
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