Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in “The Quick and the Dead” as soon as contemplated if it was “possible to improve on perfection” after outdrawing a fellow duelist within the city sq.. I take into consideration that quote typically. Not simply because it deserves placement within the pantheon over “are you not entertained?!” as an all-time cinematic swagger line, however as a result of it is relevant to my wrestle with the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The NHL postseason is ideal. 4 brutal rounds whose victor wins a battle of attrition, having earned the best to have their names ceaselessly etched onto sports activities’ holiest of grails. We will quibble in regards to the particulars — they might name a number of extra penalties, particularly in these marathon overtimes — however, functionally, the Stanley Cup playoffs are the best event in skilled crew sports activities.
However to reply Leo’s question: Sure, it is potential to enhance on perfection.
I’ve banged the drum for years on playoff expansion — it is nonsensical to have half the league miss the postseason. However even when there is not an urge for food for the sorts of play-in video games from which the NBA and MLB are presently minting cash, there are different methods to innovate the playoffs.
Like scrapping the convention format, for instance. Granted, seeding groups 1-through-16 could be too radical for the NHL, and it would not feed into the league’s said want to have as many rivalry matchups within the postseason as potential. I get that. However reseeding the ultimate 4 groups, because the league did final season throughout its COVID-impacted realignment, makes an excessive amount of sense. The groups have been seeded by their standings factors percentages, which gave the common season further credence. The reshuffling of the ultimate 4 additionally permits for conventional and geographic rivals to play for the Stanley Cup — think about these Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche blood-feud sequence with the Cup on the road, quite than the possibility to play for it?
Alas, the NHL selected to not transfer forward with “conference finals” reseeding. It is East vs. West this postseason, as soon as once more.
Fret not, playoff progressives. Perhaps our day will come. For now, we’ll simply need to accept watching this chaotic and hypnotic event captivate us for the subsequent two months.
Listed below are 50 potential 2022 Stanley Cup Ultimate matchups, organized into our hype tiers. With the Western Convention playoff seeds but to be settled, we included any crew that has a greater than 50% probability of constructing the lower.
Let’s begin with the DiCaprio of playoff tiers…
