Report: NHLPA expected to approve 24-team playoff format

Reports from OilersNation’s Jason Gregor and TSN’s Bob McKenzie say the NHLPA is expected to pass a 24-team playoff format.

With the vote having started Thursday and carrying into Friday, Gregor noted that some teams aren’t loving the format. It’s clear that’s the case given that McKenzie said an NHLPA conference call “got a little heated at times” on Thursday night. 18/31 votes are needed to pass.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun added that once the NHL has the official answer from the NHLPA, the league has its own process to go through. It’s expected that an official announcement would be given in the coming days.

The Edmonton Oilers NHLPA player representative is Darnell Nurse.

Under the format, the top four teams in each conference would play each other with the other 16 clubs going through a best-of-five play-in round. The league is working through the process of selecting hub cities to play games out of in a central manner.

The proposed format would see the Edmonton Oilers matching up against the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs. The winner would play the Dallas Stars.

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