On Sunday, we learned of a possible circus-like alteration to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The NHL may hope to have enough time to finish out a portion of the 2019-20 regular season, but it seems as if a hockey return would mean the end of the regular season. If the league decides to go right into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the idea of a 24-team tournament is up in the air, which would have the Montreal Canadiens make it as the final seed.
It’ll be pretty chaotic with an extra eight teams involved. As much as it is about being fair to those teams who were on the cusp of making it, there are also financial benefits of increasing the pool of teams that make the playoffs.