It seems like every day we hear a radical new proposal about what hockey could look like if it returns this year, and the latest idea has some interesting connotations for the Vegas Golden Knights.
If you are a regular visitor to this site then you would have read plenty in recent days about the hope that the Vegas Golden Knights and the rest of the National Hockey League can resume the 2019-20 regular season in July.
You would also have read that T-Mobile Arena is just one of many sites being considered and vetted as one of four centralized NHL cities that will host the rest of the 2019-20 regular season and the postseason should sports come back this year.
There is of course still a bevy of kinks that need to be ironed out in any such plans, but at least the possibility of hockey returning this year is starting to gather some momentum.
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And now there is another crazy idea that has emerged just to shake things up a little bit.
According to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, the NHL are kicking around a new playoff idea that could prove popular should it prove impossible for the regular season to return.
In this scenario, the top six teams from each Division would meet in one city with the No. 1 seed taking on the No. 2 seed in a best-of-three series, while No. 3 would meet No. 6 and the No. 4 seed would do battle with the No. 5 seed.
It is a radical idea and it is worth keeping in mind that the NHL has again stressed that nothing is concrete at this particular moment in time.
However, we decided it would still be worthwhile to delve into what this proposal means for the Golden Knights.
It’s fascinating.
For starters, it would mean that the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks, who had a 29-33-9 record prior to the NHL going on lockdown, would have the chance to stamp their Stanley Cup Playoffs ticket.
That is just crazy to me.
Then there is the Golden Knights who would have to take on the Edmonton Oilers in a best-of-three series in order to determine who would win the Pacific Division.
Given that the Knights are currently sitting pretty atop the Pacific with a three-point lead, it would seem unfair if they then had to play a three-game series in order to determine who would advance to the postseason as the Division winner.
However, all is fair in love and war as they say and, if this idea was the only way for hockey to return this year, then it is a price the Golden Knights would no doubt be willing to pay.
And, on the flip side, a best-of-three series against the Oilers has the potential to be mouthwatering.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, arguably two of the best players on the planet right now, going up against the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury, Mark Stone and William Karlsson?
Sign us up right now.
The Golden Knights were also 2-1-0 against Edmonton in 2019-20, scoring an average of 2.67 Goals For Per Game.
Granted, this idea also has flaws but, let’s face it, no solution for hockey to return this year is going to be perfect given the state of flux we are all currently in.
This is the new world we live in and, as such, the Golden Knights will have to make do with whatever they are given.
While the idea of playing a best-of-three to determine the winner of the Pacific Division isn’t ideal for the Vegas Golden Knights, it might have to do if that’s the only way the NHL can crown a Stanley Cup Champion in 2019-20.