Chicago Blackhawks could be going to the playoffs after all

The Chicago Blackhawks could be going to the playoffs after all if the NHL does, in fact, do this 24 team playoff but would they have a chance?

The Chicago Blackhawks might be going to the Stanley Cup playoffs after all. They don’t deserve to be a playoff team in normal circumstances but everyone knows these aren’t normal circumstances. The coronavirus pandemic is the main news of the world and we all know how it hit the sports world. Well, the pandemic might be giving the Blackhawks a chance at some playoff games.

There is a proposal floating around that is rumored to be used when play resumes. There is a “Return To Play” committee that the league is using and it submitted a proposal into the NHLPA for review. The proposal has them playing a playoff tournament in two hub cities. It would be the top 12 teams in each conference (24 total) making it to the dance with the top four on each side getting a bye. Those top four teams would get exhibition games to get themselves some reps to prep for their first matchup. The first round between the bottom seeds would be the best of five.

An important thing to note about this is that the tournament would not reseed each round. That makes it seem like pretty much every team has a chance to make some noise. In this format, the Blackhawks would be the lowest-ranked team to make it. They would be the 24th seed overall and the 12th seed in the Western Conference. They would draw the five seeded  Edmonton Oilers in the first round.

There are two ways to look at their chances against the Oilers if this came true. The positive one is to think about the fact that you have Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Corey Crawford in a five-game series. They have the experience and you would have to think that Edmonton wouldn’t love that first-round draw after having a really good season.

The second way to look at it is a very well rested Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl would be chomping at the bit to take on Chicago’s bad defense. They are two of the five best offensive players in the world right now and could take over a series. It would be a case of experience vs talent in this matchup. If the Blackhawks were able to slow those two down, they would have a chance but that is easier said than done.

No matter what happens, it would be nice to have some playoff hockey to watch as the world starts to heal. If Chicago is able to participate and have a small chance to give this city some hope, it would be a ton of fun to watch.