As has been the case with so many other sports leagues and tournaments around the world, there has been plenty of debate on just what to do with the long-suspended NHL. The harsh reality is that following another season of under-achievement, most Habs fans would be happy to let it rot and move on to next year. But one proposal would mean something could still be salvaged from what looked like being a forgettable 2019/20.
The Canadiens stood 12th in the Eastern Conference when time stood still in the NHL back in March. With just 11 regular season games remaining, the various providers of sport betting services were offering odds bordering on the astronomical of the Habs seeing post-season action. However, under these unique circumstances, all bets are off.
Straight to the playoffs?
Several possible scenarios have been put forward as to how the season might be brought to a logical conclusion when play is permitted to resume. The latest idea is to go straight into the playoffs but in an extended format that will include either 20 or 24 teams instead of the usual 16.
Under the 20-team plan, the Habs would still be spectators, However, the latest rumor is that the League is more likely to go with the 24-team format. If that happens, Montreal will just scrape in. A record of 31-31-9 is nothing to get excited about, but the team lies exactly 24th in the NHL in terms of points percentage.
Continuing the season in the regular way would have meant a post season break of less than two months – and likely closer to one – before the 2020/21 season started. Going straight to a playoff format means the season can be brought to a faster conclusion. The thinking behind the 24-team format is that it gives all the teams that had any sort of hope of making the conventional playoffs a chance.
Most likely, a league-wide approach will be taken, including all teams with a .500 record or better. The alternative would be to take the top six teams from each of the four divisions. Either way, the Canadiens would be in the mix. The exact format the playoffs would take is still under discussion.
A dream come true for Domi
Having only made the playoffs once in the past five years, the thought of some post-season action is enough to excite everyone in and around the Habs. But for one man in particular, it means everything. Max Domi is acknowledged to be one of the NHL’s most exciting talents, yet he has not had the opportunity to play in a post-season game since 2015, back when he was playing for the London Knights in the OHL.
Domi spoke to reporters by conference call last week. He resisted being drawn into a hypothetical discussion on how the league was going to reach a conclusion, but could not have been clearer on his desire to play post-season in the NHL. He said: “It’s my dream to play in the playoffs. It’s everyone’s dream. I can’t speak to what it’s like as I’ve never experienced it.”
The 25-year-old son of former Maple Leafs winger Tie Domi spent two seasons with the Arizona Coyotes before joining the Habs in 2018. He is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and there has already been no shortage of debate over whether the Habs will extend or trade him when the time comes.
Either way, the opportunity to prove himself in his preferred central position and in the pressure cooker environment of the playoffs could not have come at a better time. Domi, however, insists his mind is focused on the here and now, and this unexpected opportunity to turn the season around at the eleventh hour.
Asked about his relationship with the team, Domi declined to talk contracts. He simply said: “We believe in each other. I know we can win hockey games.” One thing is certain. Whatever the future holds for Domi and the Habs, winning hockey games is all that matter to both right now. The conclusion to this season could be more dramatic than any of us dared to hope.
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