Over a decade ago, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman came up with an idea he thought was brilliant.
He wanted to create more heated rivalries in the sport. While some division rivals disliked each other, he wanted to retune it so that teams geographically closer to one another would have, by design, play each other more often in the postseason.
To do this, Bettman and the NHL got rid of the No. 1 seed in the Western or Eastern Conference playing the No. 8 seed and made the postseason matchups come from within each conference’s division, promoting more repeat matchups.
The most recent example of how this has affected the playoffs is the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers. The two Pacific foes have met in the first round of the playoffs the past four seasons, with the Oilers winning every time.
Has this developed a deep hatred between the two fanbases? Sure.
Has it improved the overall playoffs? Not really.
And as we head into the 2026 NHL playoffs, the grand idea Bettman had to make the postseason more exciting has created the worst first round in Eastern Conference history.
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The top-seeded Carolina Hurricanes face the No. 6 seed Ottawa Senators. Not perfect, but acceptable.
The No. 2 seed Buffalo Sabres make the postseason for the first time since Bettman changed the playoff format and are greeted with the No. 5 seed Boston Bruins. Not great.
The No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Lightning face the No. 4 seed Montreal Canadiens. Even worse.
And then, to top it all off, the two worst teams in the playoffs for the East, the No. 7 seed Pittsburgh Penguins, are in a series with the No. 8 seed Philadelphia Flyers.
Is it cool that the two Pennsylvania teams are facing each other? Sure.
Is it worth making the opening round nonsensical? No.
The experiment has run its course. What was implemented in the first place to have us see more Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin series can be put to rest.
We never had to move away from the previous format. It was an unnecessary change that hasn’t helped ratings at all in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
Bettman, want a win?
Reverse what you did and present the old format as if it were a brand-new idea. I promise, no one will be complaining.
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