New Playoff Format: Leafs chances?

[Divine]

As most of you should already know, the NHL is realigning their conferences & divisions next year. This also changes the playoff format, so this thread is going to discuss if you believe the Leafs make the playoffs next year.

New Divisions:

Western Conference:

Division A - Division B

Anaheim - Chicago
Calgary - Colorado
Edmonton - Dallas
Los Angeles - Minnesota
Phoenix - Nashville
San Jose - St. Louis
Vancouver - Winnipeg

Eastern Conference:

Division C - Division D
Boston - Carolina
Buffalo - Columbus
Detroit - New Jersey
Florida - New York (Isles)
Montreal - New York (Rangers)
Ottawa - Philadelphia
Tampa Bay - Pittsburgh
Toronto - Washington

New playoff format, via NHL.com
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=660138
For more information, such as 'sharing the eastern conference' and other conference related things, click the link above.

Playoffs format - 8 teams from each Conference qualify:
Eastern Conference - Divisional playoff format with top 3 teams from each eastern division qualifying for playoffs + 2 remaining best record wild card teams from either eastern division also qualifying. No exceptions.
Western Conference - Same criteria as Eastern Conference, but with some exceptions:
- 1) If a potential wild card team is in the Eastern Time Zone and is seeded such to matchup with a Pacific Division leader in the Pacific Time Zone, this is not allowed in the 1st round.
- 2) If a potential wild card team is in the Pacific Time Zone and is seeded such to matchup with a Southern or Northern Division leader in the Eastern Time Zone, this is not allowed in the 1st round.
- 3) Among a few other ways to solve either problem from 1) or 2), either the wild card team must stay in own divisional playoff or must use next best wild card team from opposite division to stay in that divisional playoff.
- 4) In subsequent rounds 2 and 3, if a matchup occurs between an Eastern Time Zone team and a Pacific Time Zone team, the stronger seed gets to choose the home/away playoff series format of either traditional (2-2-1-1-1), staggered/wrapped (1-2-2-2, where weaker seed gets 1st home game), or economy (2-3-2) series format.

So basically, the top 3 teams from each division will qualify, and then the remaining 2 best records from each conference claims the wildcard spots (so 5 can qualify from 1 division, while 3 from the other). Since the Leafs Division is:
Boston
Buffalo
Detroit
Florida
Montreal
Ottawa
Tampa Bay
Toronto

It may be my Leafs bias, but I can only see Boston & Detroit finishing above us in the standings. I doubt Montreal repeats, so I can see the Leafs claiming the final spot in the division. I'm still iffy about the Eastern conference having 8 teams while the Western has 7, but I guess it's the best that can be done at this point. I'm skeptical because I think a healthy Ottawa team might cause some problems, given what they accomplished injured this year. If we don't finish top 3 in the division, we'd have to claim a wildcard spot, which will be tough. A wildcard spot is the top 2 records of the 10 remaining teams.

What do you guys think?

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[egd27]

At the end of the day, the top 8 will make the playoffs more often than not.
Now its 8 out of 16 as opposed to 15.
And you probably need to be top 4 or 5 to be a legitimate contender.
IMO its not as big a change as some believe.

 

[hockeygeek]

I think it will be considerably harder with 16 teams. Especially when you factor in that they have put a non playoff team in the west and a perennial playoff team in the east

 

[Leafsvideos]

A bit lazy here, would the leafs made the playoffs in this format this year?

 

[mrheat*]

-made the playoffs this year in a shortened season with Reimer
-full season next season with Bernier potentially stealing 1st spot..
-possible trades still on the horizon.
-injuries could be a factor in a longer season.

who knows what will happen.
I'll shake my lucky 8ball when i get home from the office.

 

[egd27]

A bit lazy here, would the leafs made the playoffs in this format this year?

No way of knowing.

Winnipeg, Detroit and Columbus have switched divisions so their point totals would have been different.

Not factoring that in? The Leafs finished ahead of Detroit, so they would have been third in their division and made the playoffs.

I think it will be considerably harder with 16 teams. Especially when you factor in that they have put a non playoff team in the west and a perennial playoff team in the east

As above, they finished ahead of that perennial playoff team.

 

[ACC1224]

Pretty hard to predict when you don't know what any Team looks like. This is a question for the Fall.

 

[hockeygeek]

As above, they finished ahead of that perennial playoff team.

Well that proves absolutely nothing. We beat them by one point and we never even had to play them.

 

[Razz]

We are winning the division!

 

[egd27]

Well that proves absolutely nothing. We beat them by one point and we never even had to play them.

Actually it proves that after both teams playing 48 games, the Leafs had more points. But feel free to argue that if you'd like.

 

[hockeygeek]

Actually it proves that after both teams playing 48 games, the Leafs had more points. But feel free to argue that if you'd like.

I think I'm just going to agree with you on this one mate. It's all yours

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Not a fan of this unfair 16 to 14

 

[Duffman955]

Not a fan of this unfair 16 to 14

Its all ****in bettman and his bs.

 

[Divine]

-made the playoffs this year in a shortened season with Reimer
-full season next season with Bernier potentially stealing 1st spot..
-possible trades still on the horizon.
-injuries could be a factor in a longer season.

who knows what will happen.
I'll shake my lucky 8ball when i get home from the office.

I think you're on the wrong site.

Not a fan of this unfair 16 to 14

Same.

A bit lazy here, would the leafs made the playoffs in this format this year?

Assuming that the points stayed the same, yes - but you never know.