24 Team NHL Playoff Structure approved by NHLPA. Sabres are left out

[dejeanneret]

https://coloradohockeynow.com/2020/05/22/report-nhlpa-approves-return-to-play-nhl-playoff-format/

No surprise.

Now the Pegula's can get down to planning for next year, including finding a new GM

[miles]

Is this officially approved now?  Regular season is cancelled

It stinks, but I could really use that stubhub refund

Edited May 23, 2020 by miles

[Thorner]

So probably ~ 9 months with no Sabres hockey. Gotta think it’s more likely they view this as a chance to reset, and move forward with current staff, rather than an opportunity to clean house. 

Edited May 23, 2020 by Thorny

[Tondas]

6 hours ago, dejeanneret said:

https://coloradohockeynow.com/2020/05/22/report-nhlpa-approves-return-to-play-nhl-playoff-format/

No surprise.

Now the Pegula's can get down to planning for next year, including finding a new GM

A new GM, arena renovations and game day experience, scouting staff.  It seems like the only thing the Sabres can do well lately is put on the combine.

[LabattBlue]

I can’t believe they are going forward with the playoffs in July and August format, and then screwing up next season by starting late and either ending late, compressing the schedule, or reducing the number of games. 
 

Anyways, I have tuned out watching the news because I’m sick of hearing the same stuff over and over...but hockey related...how are the hockey players from outside the US and Canada getting back here? Isn’t there an international travel ban coming into the US?

[Mustache of God]

We missed the playoffs by 3 points this year....PROGRESS!

There's also some sort of twisted irony that fan appreciation night for the "Golden" season is now cancelled. 

[LGR4GM]

But I thought adding Dalton Smith... I mean Frolik... I'm mean Simmonds was going to help get us to the playoffs....

Lol I'm just kidding. This franchise is not run with the innovation or foresight. We're over here learning to play checkers while the league plays chess with super computers. 

[PromoTheRobot]

Yay, our playoff drought is still intact! I recall some folks being mad when the Bills backed into a playoff berth in 2017 thanks to Andy Dalton.

[darksabre]

I just don't care 

[WildCard]

11 hours ago, Thorny said:

So probably ~ 9 months with no Sabres hockey. Gotta think it’s more likely they view this as a chance to reset, and move forward with current staff, rather than an opportunity to clean house. 

I mean we've been doing 9 years without Sabres hockey really what's another 9 months 

[Zamboni]

10 minutes ago, darksabre said:

I just don't care 

Same here. Frankly I’m glad the Sabres aren’t in this abomination of desperation to “complete” the season. 

[dudacek]

The seven teams not in this playoff need to be the only teams in the draft lottery. If Montreal and Chicago want gift passes to the playoffs there should be a price.

[DarthEbriate]

6 minutes ago, dudacek said:

The seven teams not in this playoff need to be the only teams in the draft lottery. If Montreal and Chicago want gift passes to the playoffs there should be a price.

With the added caveat that all 7 have the opportunity for #1.

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Yay, our playoff drought is still intact! I recall some folks being mad when the Bills backed into a playoff berth in 2017 thanks to Andy Dalton.

Well... but all of the teams in the NFL played 16 games, the Bills had a winning record, and the NFL didn't suddenly allow 4 additional teams into the wild card round between weeks 15 and 16 in the season. It's not like the Bills were 7-9 and got the wildcard over a 9-7 team from the AFC West.

Being angry about backing in seems... unhealthy. Did the Packers worry about how they got into the playoffs in 2003? Hell no. In fact, it was a celebration of how the Vikings viked it (once again). Heck, the Vikes were 6-1 and the Packers 3-4 and...  ah, it was beautiful!  Quintessential Vikings! The mayor of Green Bay even gave Nate Poole a key to the city and the Packers gave him tickets and transit to the wildcard game. https://milwaukeerecord.com/sports/15-years-ago-a-cardinals-receiver-became-a-wisconsin-sports-hero-remembering-nathan-poole/.  And of course, the Packers got their comeuppance later in the playoffs... 4th and 26. Embrace the experience and the run, the joy and the pain.

[bob_sauve28]

NHL needs the tv revenue to survive so they will have to get something going 

[Thorner]

6 hours ago, darksabre said:

I just don't care 

 

[Tondas]

Well, like the last nine years of no Sabres, there's still m@sterbation. My right bicep is shredded.

Edited May 23, 2020 by Tondas

[Thorner]

5 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

With the added caveat that all 7 have the opportunity for #1.

And 2, and 3. There’s no reason the odds and format should be changed. At least not negatively for teams 1-7 from the bottom. 

Edited May 23, 2020 by Thorny

[Marvin]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

And 2, and 3. There’s no reason the odds and format should be changed. At least not negatively for teams 1-7 from the bottom. 

I don't think that's happening.

The NHL are not calling the extra round "playoffs."  By negative inference, I assume that means that the round 1 losers will be part of the lottery.

[Thorner]

55 minutes ago, E4 ... Ke2 said:

I don't think that's happening.

The NHL are not calling the extra round "playoffs."  By negative inference, I assume that means that the round 1 losers will be part of the lottery.

There had been talk though of a revised lottery system where we’d only have the potential to move up to pick 3 at the highest, and there’d only be one drawing. Hopefully that’s been scrapped. 

[LGR4GM]

34 minutes ago, Thorny said:

There had been talk though of a revised lottery system where we’d only have the potential to move up to pick 3 at the highest, and there’d only be one drawing. Hopefully that’s been scrapped. 

The league wants to reward Detroit

[Thorner]

12 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

The league wants to reward Detroit

Why? I don't understand why they'd deserve a better shake than had everything been normal..

[Randall Flagg]

10 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Yay, our playoff drought is still intact! I recall some folks being mad when the Bills backed into a playoff berth in 2017 thanks to Andy Dalton.

Our playoff drought should be intact. We are 26th in the NHL. This product being rewarded with "ending the playoff drought" would be a disaster long term r.e. the current GM. The utter embarrassment of missing out a 24 year playoff should hurry the decisions that need to be made before we have any shot at being the team we want to be. Wanting to extend the clown show because we finished 26th in the league and had a pandemic is crazy and nothing like the Bills getting a wild card spot by long established standings rules

Edited May 24, 2020 by Randall Flagg

[Pimlach]

10 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Yay, our playoff drought is still intact! I recall some folks being mad when the Bills backed into a playoff berth in 2017 thanks to Andy Dalton.

The Bill did not back in.   They made it in full accordance with the rules.  If they played a night game that final week, and won ...then would they have earned it?   

[SwampD]

41 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

The Bill did not back in.   They made it in full accordance with the rules.  If they played a night game that final week, and won ...then would they have earned it?   

I really wish that Andy would have won that game in October. Then the story would have been that all Bills needed to do was win their last game and they were in. Which they did handily.