Wild fans won't like what Gary Bettman said about the NHL Playoff format

The NHL regular season is about to wind down, with the Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning on Apr. 18. The Minnesota Wild are virtual locks to make the postseason, but should be considered favorites to win it all. The thing is, the other two favorites to win the Cup are also in their division in the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars.

General manager Bill Guerin recently voiced his displeasure on the NHL's current playoff format, which sees division rivals face off against one another in the first two rounds. That means two of the Wild, Stars, and Avalanche will be eliminated in the first two rounds. Guerin said that "one of the top three teams should not be going home" in the first round.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to reporters during the General Manager Meetings in Palm Beach, Fla. When asked about the playoff format, Bettman continued to praise the current format. So, don't expect any changes to it, Wild fans.

Gary Bettman continues to defend current NHL playoff format, much to Bill Guerin's chagrin

“More than comfortable,” Bettman said, h/t The Athletic. “It gives us a sensational first round. Probably the best playoff first round in any sport. We get more games and longer series as a result of the format. And you can always pick at certain situations in any given year and say, ‘Well, I’d like it to be different that year.’ But if you look at the body of work that our playoffs represent over time, what we have now works extraordinarily well.”

These comments won't win over many fans, not just those who cheer for the Wild. This new format was implemented back during the 2013-14 season. The second and third placed teams in each division would match up in the first round, while the first place team would face one of the Wild Card teams, based on their overall record. The winners will face off in the second round, with the victor advancing to the Conference Finals.

This current replaced the format in which teams in each conference were seeded No. 1-8, with the top three seeds going to division winners. This allowed for a bit more variety in matchups, with the potential of division rivals facing off later in the playoffs.

The NHL only moved away from the current format during the 2019-20 season, where they used a 24-team format. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season paused in March 2020 with just 85.1 percent of total games played. There were qualifying rounds. The top four teams in each conference competed in a round robin, where the seeding in the playoff would be determined. Then, the remaining eight teams in each conference would compete in a best of five qualifying round, with the winners advancing to the official playoff. It then reached a 16-team playoff format.

The 2020-21 season returned to a version of the current format, but it featured realigned divisions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bettman continued to defend the current format, saying that it is still good, even when they increase the season to 84 games starting next season.

“If you look at the races for the playoffs, I think it’s virtually impossible to say that the regular season has no meaning,” said Bettman. “To the contrary, every game counts. Going to 84 games, what that really does is balance off divisional play. Every team will play every other twice home and twice away, which I think is good, so we’re not doing any rotation within the division. If anything, I think it makes it more impactful.”

Considering that the Wild, Avalanche, and Stars are the three best teams in not just the Western Conference, but in the entire NHL, it would be more a more enticing viewing experience if they had the older 1-8 format to ensure they faced off later in the playoffs. Instead, by the time the Western Conference Finals come around, it's entirely likely just one team remaining in the Central Division will be left. As much as Guerin and NHL fans don't like the format, it doesn't sound like Bettman is willing to make a change.