Big Changes Could Be Coming to the NHL Playoff Format

There's been a debate and discussion over the past few years regarding the NHL potentially making an adjustment to its playoff format, as fans and players both hope for something different that lends itself to a bit more parity and excitement.

But Gary Bettman has stayed firm so far, and while there were some preliminary talks about adjusting things, there's been nothing concrete even with a new CBA coming into place shortly.

However NHL Insider Chris Johnston has the scoop that perhaps the NHL isn't exactly stubborn when it comes to making a playoff change and there have been rumblings of making things a bit different going forward:

That would be a huge benefit to both the league and its players as not only will you get more revenue from additional playoff games, but you get players who otherwise may not have gotten a chance to end up playing in their first playoff game; much like Jeff Skinner finally did this season.

But fans aren't necessarily all gung-ho about the idea:

For Toronto, it would mean that they would likely need to ensure they end up being one of the first two division winners or they may need to gamble on winning a play-in or wild-card game in order to make it through.

That's tough for a team who has notoriously faltered in the playoffs, and might not even get a chance to go further if they fall in the play-in.

Let's call a spade a spade here; it's money.

There's no doubt that while there is a want to give some teams the chance to surprise some and make a dark horse run, there's an obvious financial incentive to this potential change.

With more games being scheduled, that means more tickets sold, more ad revenue, and even more record-breaking profits. But as we've seen with the MLB and NBA, that amount of money brought it can lead to a lot higher spending limits for teams; in the case of the MLB -- anything they want pretty much.

For Gary Bettman, making money is and always will be the top priority for the NHL, and while he's certainly open to making some changes there's a clear onus to make the league as profitable as possible.

Which is great for the overall future of the league, but you can't argue that it's going to make some fans less than happy about what might end up happening.