No, the NHL playoff system is not broken

Over the past several weeks, NHL social media has been buzzing about the current playoff system, following comments from Wild GM Bill Guerin reported by Hockey Wilderness.

Guerin noted that no matter what, Minnesota would have a tough first-round matchup with any team they'd face, but re-emphasized his complaint: "That's really the crappy part of it, somebody's going home. ... I do agree with you that one of the top three teams should not be going home [in Round 1]."

I have heard from all over, from SDPN to hockey YouTubers, to X accounts with lower case letters in them, that this format needs to change, go back to 1 vs. 8 of the 2000s.  However, that is the only solution I have seen, and the ratio of complaints to solutions is 10 to 1.  Now let's look at some solutions.

Once again, the most common option is to return to the 1vs format with 3 division winners and 5 wildcards, or to modify it to two division leaders and six wild cards.  The first option would mean the league would have to split into 3 divisions again, with 16 teams per conference. The 3 divisions don't work unless you get nuts and split the conference into four divisions, with four division leaders and four wild cards.

Does this make sense? Probably not, but if everyone wants fair, this is how you split it, and just use the 4x4 method.  But I have a different method, one used in the AHL that is fairer.  

The 4x4 or 5x3 method from the AHL!  Here is how it works: you take the 4 best teams from each division and then play each other, or if the 5th best team in one division has more points than the 4th place team in another division, the 5th place tema gets in; therefore, 5 from one division and 3 from another.  

Now, some of you may look at this and think, this is a fairer play of the system. Well, let me let you in on a secret: That is happening now with this system!  

Both the Atlantic and Central divisions are getting five teams into the playoffs because they are the stronger divisions.  The two wild cards in the West are Utah and Nashville (of all teams), and in the Atlantic, Boston and Ottawa, with the Pacific getting three teams and the Metro getting three teams into the postseason.  This current system, as janky as it is, produces the same results as a fairer system (the 4-and-4 or 5-and-3 method) that many on social media would deem better.

The system is not broken. Just because we look at regulation wins and league standings and think this is not right.  This current method was created by the networks and Gary Betteman for maximum entertainment, featuring divisional first-round matchups. See Caps vs Pens for 5 straight years, The Battle of Florida, The Battle of Ontario, Leafs vs Habs, Kings vs Oilers for 3 years, etc.

The Wild are mad because their dance partners in the Central are a wagon in the Dallas Stars and a Category 4 superteam in the Avalanche. If the Wild Central Division I listed above were leading it, no problem.  

But they're not, the Wild, Dallas, and Avs are in a three-way dance that will leave one team bruised heading into the conference finals or an underdog story the NHL loves.

Bottom line, the system is not broken; it is producing the most reasonable results it was intended for, even if sometimes we get unreasonable matchups.