Which teams have a legitimate reason to not be happy with the new playoff format and/or lottery?

[Trap Jesus]

Which teams have a legitimate reason to not be happy about either the 24 team playoff format, or the revised lottery?

Click to read more...

 

[Voight]

Is the revised lottery official?

If so, DET & OTT are probably the happiest. There was 0 chance they were going to make the playoffs. and now they essentially guaranteed top 5 picks (two in Ottawas case)

 

[LeafsNation75]

Only the playoff format was mentioned on here, however I think this video is appropriate about this topic.

 

[LeafsNation75]

As for the question itself I voted for Pittsburgh because there is no way Montreal should have a chance to make the playoffs if they defeat them in the play in round. Prior to the trade deadline we saw the Canadiens trade Ilya Kovalchuk, Marco Scandella, Nick Cousins and Nate Thompson. It was obvious that Marc Bergevin was giving up on them making the playoffs had the season not been suspended.

 

[danpantz]

Not that Home-ice is going to matter much with the games being played in empty arenas. Boston potentially winning the Presidents trophy and not being the 1 seed is dumb.

 

[Just Linda]

Dom from the athletic wrote a piece about this. Habs had a 19 percent chance of having a top 3 pick, a 6 percent chance of 1oa. Now we have a 6.2 percent chance of having a top 3 pick and a 1.9 percent chance of getting 1oa. Meanwhile our Stanley Cup odds went from 0% to 0.4%.

Blackhawks are in a similar but not as bad asset forfeiture.

That and teams that have legit chances of being upset in the playin are the ones that lose the most.

 

[Canada4Gold]

Bruins and Blues because they've got to play for the 1 seeds they owned. Pens, and Oilers because they have to play for the playoff spots they almost certainly had, increased lottery odds not worth that IMO. Montreal and Chicago because they lose half their lottery odds(and maybe drop 8 picks lower if they win a round) for an undeserved playoff chance they won't do much with anyway

 

[Machinehead]

All the teams that qualified for a four-round playoff and now have to play a fifth round.

 

[Super Cake]

Is the revised lottery official?

If so, DET & OTT are probably the happiest. There was 0 chance they were going to make the playoffs. and now they essentially guaranteed top 5 picks (two in Ottawas case)

Ottawa is only guaranteed only one top 5 pick as of now. They can still finish 5 and 6.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Is the revised lottery official?

If so, DET & OTT are probably the happiest. There was 0 chance they were going to make the playoffs. and now they essentially guaranteed top 5 picks (two in Ottawas case)

Why would it make them happy?
The revised lottery doesnt give them a better chance than the lottery of previous years.

If anything, it would frustrate them if a team that doesnt deserve to be in the lottery like the pens or oilers ends up winning and picking higher than them.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Situations like Pittsburgh vs Montreal are lose-lose.

 

[bobholly39]

I thought about it for a while....and eventually settled on Edmonton, only. Came close to voting none.

I really think when the NHL decided to give 4 teams a 'bye' it should have been top 2 in division. That would have been consistent with the idea of "divisional seeding matters, not just overall conference ranks" that is a very strong factor in the season. So - giving Dallas the bye instead of them makes absolutely no sense to me. I also have a healthy dose of respect for Chicago in the playoffs - which is an additional concern.

Boston....why do they have 6 votes? They're top team, and are still today. Sure they may lose the round robin but....does it really matter? It's not even home ice, you're in a neutral city with no fans. I just see almost no effect at all for Boston here, so not really sure why they'd be upset. Same for any of the other teams with bye.

Pittsburgh....in the end - they're a top contender who wants to win the cup. They're already in the playoffs. I don't care if it's called 'play-in' or 'playoffs'. You basically have to beat and eliminate your opponent before they beat you. If they want to go all the way and win the cup by beating favorites like St Louis, Washington, Boston, Tampa....are they really going to fret over 24th placed Montreal Canadiens? I just don't understand that. It's true that with the extra rust of being off for a few months, anything can happen, including losing to Montreal if Habs are more ready. But what's the alternative for Pitt? Go straight to 16 team playoffs and instead face off against....Philly or Washington in round 1, still with all that rust? Isn't it better for them to get the rust off on a 'weaker' Montreal team, than not? And if they somehow choke and lose in round 1 (like they did last year) - they get a potential strong odds at a lottery pick (and we all know Pitt tends to do well in that setting). So overall....no, i won't vote Pittsburgh.

Montreal/Chicago/Arizona are interesting. They all 3 get a very undeserved playoff spot. However - their lotto odds and draft position could take a serious hit. Montreal (w/Price) and Chicago (cup experience) can definitely do some damage in round 1 - especially with the rust a factor. That would mean going from 8th or 9th in draft to 16th or 17th. And 1st round pick is bad enough - I think the Habs have like 4 or 5 picks in round 2, all of which get bumped too. If you feel those teams have no real chance at the cup - the potential steep drop in draft position could be a huge negative. Still - i'm a glass half full type of guy. As a Habs fan im' happy we get a shot at playoffs - and im' also very happy we get a shot at lotto too (there were rumors in past of being only able to move +4 spots in draft, which I hated). So i'll give those 2 teams a pass. Chicago with all that playoff experience...who knows, they could be deadly.
As for Arizona - they were the biggest buyers this year, trading for Hall to make a run. Wheels kind of fell off...but here we go, hail mary - you're now in the playoffs. Why would they not be happy? This is where they wanted to be.

All the other 'play-in' teams. I dont' really see any issue. Some had bigger odds than others at making the playoffs....but 5 round or 4 - you're already in playoffs. And if you get eliminated by whoever you're facing off in round 1 - odds are you weren't going to go far anyways. Look at Tor - if they somehow lose to Columbus - sure, maybe it sucks they don't make it to round of 16, but how exactly were they going to get past Boston or Tampa next if they can't even beat Columbus? You don't exactly get a prize for making round 2 or 3 - the goal is to win the cup, you have to go all the way.

The "byes". They all get to play to get the rust off before the elimination series start. They'll all be somewhat protected with top seeding. They play 1 less round than others (and have the luxury of seeing some strong teams, like maybe Pitt - not even make it). Overall i think this is good for them

The 25-31....nothing really changes for them, right?

So.....Edmonton. And only because they should swap with Dallas for the 'bye'. Overall i'm very happy with the system and think it's very fair

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Bruins, Penguins and Oilers.

Boston has a ridiculous lead on the rest of the conference. They don’t deserve to possible re-seed to 4th. St. Louis isn’t such a big deal because the Avs have been on their tail for a month anyway. Points percentage is almost dead even.

Montreal and Chicago had no chance at playoffs so I think it’s unfair that two undeserving teams get to play a 3 of 5 series so Edmonton and Pittsburgh should be a little pissed but it isn’t the end of the world.

 

[Voight]

Why would it make them happy?
The revised lottery doesnt give them a better chance than the lottery of previous years.

If anything, it would frustrate them if a team that doesnt deserve to be in the lottery like the pens or oilers ends up winning and picking higher than them.

Because it essentially guarantees them top picks instead of a team leapfrogging them.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Bruins, Penguins and Oilers.

Boston has a ridiculous lead on the rest of the conference. They don’t deserve to possible re-seed to 4th. St. Louis isn’t such a big deal because the Avs have been on their tail for a month anyway. Points percentage is almost dead even.

Montreal and Chicago had no chance at playoffs so I think it’s unfair that two undeserving teams get to play a 3 of 5 series so Edmonton and Pittsburgh should be a little pissed but it isn’t the end of the world.

I'd just add St. Louis and Colorado to this, it's the same thought process as Boston where they can so easily fall to a spot they would have had no chance falling to (given their respective leads on Dallas and Vegas). The Tampa/Washington/Philly group are all really close.

 

[Gains]

As a Habs fan, I'm really bummed that we're in the play ins, I really wanted better odds at Lafreniere. It's also worse because I feel like Buffalo would have been happy in our spot and we were playing them our next game.

 

[ScaredStreit]

None. It's not perfect but I haven't seen any better options proposed.

 

[LarKing]

Because it essentially guarantees them top picks instead of a team leapfrogging them.

What? It’s like exactly the same odds as normal. Detroit can only fall to 4th, the same as the last place team under the normal format.

 

[Fixxer]

Dom from the athletic wrote a piece about this. Habs had a 19 percent chance of having a top 3 pick, a 6 percent chance of 1oa. Now we have a 6.2 percent chance of having a top 3 pick and a 1.9 percent chance of getting 1oa. Meanwhile our Stanley Cup odds went from 0% to 0.4%.

For Marc Bergevin it's a blessing. His team is in the playoffs now. Even if the Habs get a top pick at the draft, they haven't picked a star player yet, in the Bergie era. So, picking lower isn't too bad and if the Pens are defeated, Bergevin will try and tell everyone that this was a successful season... where the team progressed, young players are budding (add your cliche here).

 

[bobholly39]

As for the question itself I voted for Pittsburgh because there is no way Montreal should have a chance to make the playoffs if they defeat them in the play in round. Prior to the trade deadline we saw the Canadiens trade Ilya Kovalchuk, Marco Scandella, Nick Cousins and Nate Thompson. It was obvious that Marc Bergevin was giving up on them making the playoffs had the season not been suspended.

So here are the options for Pittsburgh:

1. Business as usual top 16 teams....face off against Philly in round 1. Rust on both sides - facing off against a good/to great Philly team, possible they lose round 1. If they lose round 1 - they're drafting ~23rd or so? Not sure how playoff vs season rank normally works, but around there. If they win against Philly - they still have to go through any of Washington, Boston/Tampa, maybe St Louis for the cup.

2. 24 team format....face off against Montreal in round 1. Rust on both sides - facing off against a pretty weak Montreal team. If they lose - they can have up to a 37.5% chance at a lotto pick (depending on round 1 of draft lotto) - or at worst, pick 16th place. If they win - they still have go through the same combination of teams to win the cup - probably Boston/Tampa/Washington, etc.

How is option 2 not better for them? They get to shake the rust off against a weaker Montreal - and if they somehow lose (and if they do lose to Montreal, they'd probably have lost to Philly in round 1 too, the better team) - they get rewarded with a higher draft pick, and potentially good odds at a lotto pick too. That's like - win-win to me.

There's no rewards for making it to round 1, 2, or 3 of playoffs. You either win - or you don't. If they lose the play-in, they'd probably would have lost the round 1 match too. At least this way, their draft fortunes get much better.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

Edmonton and Pittsburgh do get screwed. But at the same time, if our teams can't win a series against the 23rd and 24th best teams in the league, we weren't going to win the cup under normal circumstances.

If hockey comes back, I'll take it and make the best of it. Getting a higher pick than we ever expected should we lose, makes it fair.

I feel awful for Sabres fans. Even with 24 teams in they just miss the cutoff...

 

[treple13]

I voted a few teams, although some are screwed more than others.

I don't think any of the top 8 matters since there's no home ice. Edmonton and Pittsburgh are clear as both were almost certain playoff teams.

I put down Nashville, Carolina, Toronto, Calgary as well since I think all of those teams were more likely to make it than they are now.

I also voted Chicago and Montreal as neither team is a contender and both teams needed the draft capital more than a play-in

 

[MikeyMike01]

All the teams that qualified for a four-round playoff and now have to play a fifth round.

This. I voted 5, 6, 7, 8 in both conferences.

It’s unknown who the bottom 4 seeds would have been, but as it stands those 4 teams have to play an extra round vs. a normal playoff.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

This all ends with Pittsburgh or Edmonton walking away with Lafreniere.

 

[Machinehead]

This all ends with Pittsburgh or Edmonton walking away with Lafreniere.

This guy has seen the movie before.