OT: Too many teams in the NHL

[Doc McKenna]

I know I am a grumpy old man, however do we have too many teams in the NHL?

Is the talent too diluted? When you finish out of the playoffs can you get a good talent in the teens? Are we filling arenas? Do we have good rivalries any more? Do you even care about the other conference that much anymore? Can you still name 85% of all the players in the league and have a general idea of how they are playing.

I liked the 24 team 6 teams per division pre 1993 expansion. I even didn't mind the 7 team/div 28 team league. I find the current 32 teams to be too many and I just can't get excited about half of the games, and a further 1/4 I just won't even watch if habs aren't involved.

What are your feelings and or thoughts on the current talent/team/drafting/anything you want to discuss related to it.
Thanks in advance, I may not get back to the thread in a reasonable time because my grandkids keep me busy AF.

PS if a mod want to make a poll with maybe 6 options feel free as I couldn't figure out how to do it.
1 WAY less teams the hockey sucks now!
2 Don't care but lean towards 28-30 if option was on the table
3 I like it just the way it is. Good Balance!
4 I think we need more team, the NHL needs the markets
5 Why doesn't Quebec have a team given the crap attendance elsewhere *looking at you whinerpeg*
6 Scrap it all and set it up like in soccer with a lot more semipro teams and 2 up, 2 down each season to make sure teams play their hardest instead of tanking!

Edit -Happy New Year

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[Boss Man Hughes]

Option 1 definitely.

 

[RabbleMasterBlaster]

I know I am a grumpy old man, however do we have too many teams in the NHL?

Is the talent too diluted? When you finish out of the playoffs can you get a good talent in the teens? Are we filling arenas? Do we have good rivalries any more? Do you even care about the other conference that much anymore? Can you still name 85% of all the players in the league and have a general idea of how they are playing.

I liked the 24 team 6 teams per division pre 1993 expansion. I even didn't mind the 7 team/div 28 team league. I find the current 32 teams to be too many and I just can't get excited about half of the games, and a further 1/4 I just won't even watch if habs aren't involved.

What are your feelings and or thoughts on the current talent/team/drafting/anything you want to discuss related to it.
Thanks in advance, I may not get back to the thread in a reasonable time because my grandkids keep me busy AF.

PS if a mod want to make a poll with maybe 6 options feel free as I couldn't figure out how to do it.
1 WAY less teams the hockey sucks now!
2 Don't care but lean towards 28-30 if option was on the table
3 I like it just the way it is. Good Balance!
4 I think we need more team, the NHL needs the markets
5 Why doesn't Quebec have a team given the crap attendance elsewhere *looking at you whinerpeg*
6 Scrap it all and set it up like in soccer with a lot more semipro teams and 2 up, 2 down each season to make sure teams play their hardest instead of tanking!

Edit -Happy New Year

I pointed this out previously. This has a double edge.

On the one hand, the talent is DEFINITELY overly diluted. Which really makes it feel like every team only has like 3 good players and 19 mediocre ones.

On the other hand, if we had fewer teams and more talent, it's most likely that there would be a lot more lob sided stacked teams.

I don't know what the middle is in this case but the game clearly is suffering from it.

 

[Mrb1p]

Too many teams for real

 

[RationalExpectations]

I like it the way it is : half the teams making the playoff makes regular season significant, more teams means you don t always see the same games.

 

[Monsieur Miz]

Too many teams and too many jobbers who shouldn't be playing in the big league.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Too many teams and too many jobbers who shouldn't be playing in the big league.

 

[Habs]

man there are way too many, could eliminate 4 off the top of my head. Winnipeg, Columbus , Carolina, Ottawa. Good riddance.

 

[Scintillating10]

I know I am a grumpy old man, however do we have too many teams in the NHL?

Is the talent too diluted? When you finish out of the playoffs can you get a good talent in the teens? Are we filling arenas? Do we have good rivalries any more? Do you even care about the other conference that much anymore? Can you still name 85% of all the players in the league and have a general idea of how they are playing.

I liked the 24 team 6 teams per division pre 1993 expansion. I even didn't mind the 7 team/div 28 team league. I find the current 32 teams to be too many and I just can't get excited about half of the games, and a further 1/4 I just won't even watch if habs aren't involved.

What are your feelings and or thoughts on the current talent/team/drafting/anything you want to discuss related to it.
Thanks in advance, I may not get back to the thread in a reasonable time because my grandkids keep me busy AF.

PS if a mod want to make a poll with maybe 6 options feel free as I couldn't figure out how to do it.
1 WAY less teams the hockey sucks now!
2 Don't care but lean towards 28-30 if option was on the table
3 I like it just the way it is. Good Balance!
4 I think we need more team, the NHL needs the markets
5 Why doesn't Quebec have a team given the crap attendance elsewhere *looking at you whinerpeg*
6 Scrap it all and set it up like in soccer with a lot more semipro teams and 2 up, 2 down each season to make sure teams play their hardest instead of tanking!

Edit -Happy New Year

I agree but look where league is going financially? More money in hockey than ever before. No team in Quebec. Maybe 30 years from now but not in near future

 

[BehindTheTimes]

I preferred the hockey with 21 teams. Right now, I find it extremely difficult to watch. Maybe that’s not 100% of the Habs sucking and being boring, but the entire product is a bit boring.

 

[Rob Sense]

man there are way too many, could eliminate 4 off the top of my head. Winnipeg, Columbus , Carolina, Ottawa. Good riddance.

add Arizona for sure.

 

[Sorinth]

Personally I'd take less games over less teams. With fewer games you'd get less back to back and mental fatigue that leads to tired performances. Probably less injuries too which should all lead to more exciting games.

For rivalries it's all about consistent playoff matchups, we haven't had much non-covid playoffs so we haven't been building on any rivalries old or new. I think divisional playoffs is the way to go and honestly I would be tempted to remove the multi-divisional wild card spots and have teams 4 and 5 of each division play a mini series against each other with teams 1-3 getting a rest.

 

[Naslundforever]

I could not care less about the financial status of the nhl, I want to see fights and high-flying wingers take slappers with wooden sticks that don’t break half the time and can catch passes.

12 teams 3 divisions tops. No more coaching challenges, bad calls are what get blood boiling and legends are made of. No cap for sure.

so 1

 

[BLONG7]

I know I am a grumpy old man, however do we have too many teams in the NHL?

Is the talent too diluted? When you finish out of the playoffs can you get a good talent in the teens? Are we filling arenas? Do we have good rivalries any more? Do you even care about the other conference that much anymore? Can you still name 85% of all the players in the league and have a general idea of how they are playing.

I liked the 24 team 6 teams per division pre 1993 expansion. I even didn't mind the 7 team/div 28 team league. I find the current 32 teams to be too many and I just can't get excited about half of the games, and a further 1/4 I just won't even watch if habs aren't involved.

What are your feelings and or thoughts on the current talent/team/drafting/anything you want to discuss related to it.
Thanks in advance, I may not get back to the thread in a reasonable time because my grandkids keep me busy AF.

PS if a mod want to make a poll with maybe 6 options feel free as I couldn't figure out how to do it.
1 WAY less teams the hockey sucks now!
2 Don't care but lean towards 28-30 if option was on the table
3 I like it just the way it is. Good Balance!
4 I think we need more team, the NHL needs the markets
5 Why doesn't Quebec have a team given the crap attendance elsewhere *looking at you whinerpeg*
6 Scrap it all and set it up like in soccer with a lot more semipro teams and 2 up, 2 down each season to make sure teams play their hardest instead of tanking!

Edit -Happy New Year

I think most of us are showing our age when it comes to this topic.

I thought expanding from 24 to 28 teams was a little much..............and there are a few weak teams in the league as is pertains to finances.
32 teams gives the league a ton of balance so to speak, and 16 make the playoffs, and 16 don't.

Going to throw something into the mix that many may not like, but I feel the game is waaayyyy over coached. This results in a ton of boring hockey. This tends to come back to Jacques Lemaire and expansion at the same time.............man the Devils sucked the life out of hockey for, all the while having an amazing goalie in Brodeur.

I think Bettman has been amazing for the game, but also bad for the game with expansion into non hockey markets, I get what he is doing, and also kinda hate it too.

Happy New Year's Doc, great to see you posting!!

Go Habs Go!!

 

[Pat Riot]

Would love to have more team with the creation of the european division. And the rink a little bigger an hybrid between NHL and Olympic size

8 teams european division

-Stockholm (Sweden)
-Helsinki (Finland)
-Riga (Latvia)
-Moscow (Russia)
-Berlin (Germany)
-Prague (Czech Republic)
-Bratislava (Slovakia)
-Vienna (Austria)

Make the league bigger, make more money, attract more talents, make hockey a bigger sport worldwide. Embrace the future we are not going backward with less teams

 

[Chili]

And they will probably expand more soon. Seeing how much the Sens sold for will tempt the owners to cash in. And sooner or later some European teams will be added, wonder what that would do to the Euro leagues?

By biggest beef is the schedule. The Habs play more games against the other conference then their own division. Don't know how that encourages rivalries. Remember the expression 'four point game'?

 

[Habs]

add Arizona for sure.

yup, for sure.

 

[CHwest]

I don't see what you guys are seeing I guess. To my eyes the hockey is the best it has ever been, a modern SC winner would crush a SC team from the 70's or 80's. So much skill and speed now a days.

 

[Riddick412]

It definitely feels like there's too many. They need to go back to playing more in each team's own division to create and refresh some rivalries imo.

 

[LaP]

Option 3.

The amount of teams atm is perfect. It's hard to make the playoffs but not too hard. There's enough players to have a decent talent pool for all 32 teams. But i feel like adding more teams will be a mistake for now.

 

[DAChampion]

I can see the league expanding to 36 or 40 teams.

Houston, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, are likely the primary candidates.

 

[the valiant effort]

“MLB sets new revenue record ”

“NFL brings in $20 billion, doubling every other league”

Definitive proof that everything’s fine for all our favourite sports.

 

[Habs13]

1, fixed by 6. I think that stops teams like the Hawks tank for Bedard, or how Pittsburgh tanked to get Crosby, Malkin, Fluery, Stall, Letang etc.

I've wanted that system for a while now.

 

[McGees]

I think we have too many games personally.
Less games and make them count more.
It should be more like 60 games, lose the Wednesday night games in Minnesota type thing.

 

[Lshap]

I vote for more grumpy old men.