Another day, another wacky season-resumption plan being considered by the NHL.
If you’ve spent anytime on social media in the last 48 hours, you’ll notice that a handful of respected hockey insiders are suddenly, and enthusiastically, floating a new proposal for the resumption of the 2019/2020 NHL season.
Elliotte Friedman, Chris Johnston, Bruce Garrioch and Larry Brooks have all written about it in the last couple days which gives you a pretty good idea what is going on here. The league’s last idea didn’t go over so well so now they are floating Plan B to get a sense of the reaction.
Here’s how it would break down.
Rather than assembling teams to play meaningless regular season games, the league would jump right into the playoffs. The format isn’t exactly known at this point but what seems clear is it would include 24 teams instead of the traditional 16.
This isn’t exactly a new concept, as Chris Johnston broke it down back in mid-March, but it’s apparently something the league is now looking at again.
Larry Brooks over at the New York Post broke it down again yesterday, adding that “sources on both sides of the aisle have told The Post that the NHL’s reopening plan has shifted from completing the 2019-20 regular season to instead staging a 24-team tournament that would include a best-of-three play-in round.”
Well then.
There are still endless logistics to sort through but based on the amount of attention this idea is getting lately, it seems like it may be where the NHL is focusing their efforts right now.
As a Sens fan, I know what you’re thinking….who cares? Tell me about the Draft Lottery and the Draft.
Here’s what Brooks had to say on that front.
A decision to go directly to a tournament would allow the league to establish a draft lottery under which the seven teams on the other side of the cut line would be eligible for the first-overall pick. Those clubs would be the Red Wings, Senators, Sharks, Kings, Ducks, Sabres and Devils. The order of selection determined by the lottery drawing would apply whether the draft is held in June or following completion of the tournament.
Obviously the devil will be in the details here but on the surface, it sounds like this would again put the Ottawa Senators in a great spot.
They would have two of the seven opportunities at first overall and if the plan is still to just hold a single lottery, then presumably the Senators could only drop a single spot, once again making 3rd and 4th overall the worst-case scenario.
Works for me!
Don’t get me wrong, I am going to watch the hell out of this bizarre summer hockey showdown but it’s just…odd. It’s not the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that’s for sure. But sports is sports, at this point.
One thing I can say for certain is I am glad the Ottawa Senators have seven picks in the first two rounds of the entry draft and not a spot in this strange 24-team tournament.
We’ll see if this idea gains any momentum over the next couple of days and what it means for the timing of a Lottery and the Draft. Still sounds like the League likes the idea of a June Entry Draft but they need to get moving to make it work.
In the meantime, it’s good to see the Senators are finding ways to keep busy.
