Voting results for new NHL playoff format expected Friday night
98.5 The Sports Hub staff report
As reported by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN’s Darren Dreger, the NHLPA executive board is voting on whether to resume the 2019-20 NHL season with a 24-team playoff. Voting results are expected by Friday night.
The board, which is comprised of 31 player reps for each team, may take until well into Friday to determine the final vote. Defenseman Brandon Carlo is the Bruins’ player rep, with Torey Krug as the alternative.
NHL and NHLPA reps will then negotiate additional details of the agreement if the vote is passed, according to Dreger. The league has been working on a 24-team playoff format for the return of the season.
In the league’s proposed playoff format, the top-4 teams in each conference would play each other, while teams 5-12 in each conference would play an eight-team play-in round. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also said the league is looking at “host cities” for games in areas where COVID-19 restrictions would be relaxed enough to allow them.
According to LeBrun, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, and Las Vegas are among the cities being considered for hosting duties.
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