If there was no pandemic, the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs would start this week. We would be debating playoff matchups, yelling about how playoff officiating makes no sense, and talking about Brad Marchand and his antics.
Instead, I thought, why not put that energy into something more productive. And so, I present to you: Three Changes the NHL should make for a better and more exciting league.
Designated Players
The NHL’s cap tries to ensure a competitive balance across the league. Rich teams and not so rich teams, at least theoretically, can only spend to the cap ceiling. However, the hard cap prevents top players from making top dollar for their services.
Under a “Designated Player” system, the top paid player on each team would be the “Designated Player” and would not count towards the team’s cap. This system will allow star players to get paid and make money based on the value to provide to their teams and league. The extra cap space will also allow players playing lower in the lineup, such as fourth liners or third-pairing defensemen, to earn more money. While overall salaries rise, the rise is not so exponential as to financially cripple teams. This system will also maintain the competitive balance the NHL is trying to maintain with a hard-cap system.
Modifying the Playoff Structure
The current NHL playoff structure has been a topic of discussion for fans for many years. The current playoff structure does not place any value on regular season performance. It pits Stanley Cup contenders against one another in the first two rounds of the playoffs and dilutes the competition for conference finals and the Stanley Cup finals. The NHL should take the opportunity to revamp its system so that it can place a greater emphasis on regular season results and also, create a structure to increase revenues.
Here’s my proposal. Each division winners should be guaranteed the top two seeds in each conference. After that, spots 3-6 are reserved for the next four best teams in the conference. Then, teams ranked 7-10, will have a play-in game. The play-in game is determined based on a random lottery. The winners of the play-in games get the final two spots. The final playoff matchups are then determined based on the traditional 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 system.
This system places a greater emphasis on regular season results, creates excitement in matchups, and gives us the best things in sports: more Game 7s. By adding two extra playoff games, the league can generate more revenue through broadcast partners and gate receipts. An increase in revenue will benefit the league, additional chances to qualify for the playoffs will make players happy, and more playoff games will make fans happy.
Using Scratched Players
Each NHL team can have a maximum of 23 players, and in each game, a team can dress a maximum of 18 skaters and 2 goalies. To allow teams to maximize their entire rosters, the League should allow teams to use their scratched players. Chicago Blackhawks President John McDonough suggested this idea before.
If a team is playing poorly, getting dominated, or suffers an injury, that team should have the option of substituting players.
This change benefits both owners and players. Owners don’t want million dollar assets sitting around eating hotdogs and popcorn in the press box and this change puts million dollar assets to good use. This system also benefits players. Rarely any professional athlete wants to sit on the sidelines; they want to be in the game. Even if it’s only for a few minutes, this system lets players scratched on a nightly basis get involved in the game in some way.
Also, this system helps protect players. Oftentimes, especially in the NHL, players are playing through serious injuries. Broken bones, torn muscles, concussions. Players should not have to play through these injuries. If coaches and players know an option exists that is not currently on the bench, maybe players are more likely to take their injuries more seriously.
Finally, this system can also increase the quality of play. Coaches can rest star players for a portion of the game to prevent fatigue and reduce the risk of injuries. Keeping players fresh and injury free lets players display their speed, skill, and finesse more frequently.
These changes can increase league revenue, increase player salaries, and can create an exciting product for the fans. Hopefully the NHL will consider some or all of these changes once we get back to playing hockey.
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