Bettman responds to the idea of an expanded Stanley Cup Playoffs

There's been a push in recent years to expand the NHL's playoff structure, allowing more than the usual 16 teams (8 in the West, 8 in the East) to complete for the Stanley Cup. The conversation really picked up steam in 2020 however with the Wild Card play-in series that enabled teams to play a short series and play their way into the playoffs. The success of this experiment has led many hockey fans to call for a full-time expanded play-in and, in effect, an expanded playoff field. The problem with this though is that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has shown no appetite for an expanded playoffs and just yesterday his reaffirmed his stance on the matter.

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It's rare that I agree with Bettman on things, but I've got to agree with him here. There's no need to add more than 16 teams to the post-season. It's a fight to get in and, honestly, that's how it should be.