What's most insane about the 24-team suggested format is that it inordinately impacts a select few teams. CHI and MTL go from like <1% chance of making the "playoffs" to (let's back-envelope) 40% while the Oilers go from about 95% to ~60%.

Then you have some bizarre cutoff point: Oilers go from 95% to 60% whereas Dallas goes from 95% to 100%. They're separated by the thinnest of lines. Oilers actually have a superior goal differential (+8 vs +3). Seriously?

Why even play 70 freaking games in the regular season? It's like the entire season was played for a 7 team relegation. You play the games to get some meaningful separation between good teams and bad teams. A 5-game "intro" round throws that shit directly in the garbage.

Does the NHL wonder why fans are cynical about their choices? Tell me with a straight face that they'd be entertaining a 24-team conference-based format if CHI doesn't happen to be the 12th place team in a division-less Western Conference.

Want to make this "fair"? Make it so that the Blackhawks need to win 4 out of 5 in the series. Seriously. Oilers win 2 and the thing is over. Requiring CHI to win 5/5 is actually fairer but let's spot them this one.

I'm not joking. If this is all about respecting CHI's 1-3% "chance" of making the playoffs, give them that exact chance. If CHI has 45% chance of winning any single game vs EDM, they have a 1.8% chance of winning 5 in a row against them.

If we're basically inventing cartoonish new playoff rounds off the top of our heads, why not tinker with the need for these rounds to be a 3-in-5 format? Make them 4-in-5 or 5-in-5, depending on those team's particular pre-COVID chances.