Boston Bruins: Return to play plan not a good one for team

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 21: David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Nashville Predators at TD Garden on December 21, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Predators won 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 21: David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Nashville Predators at TD Garden on December 21, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Predators won 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images) /
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The NHL announced their return to play plan and Boston Bruins fans will not be happy.

NHL fans got some good news on Tuesday. Hockey will be back soon enough and Boston Bruins fans might not be happy with how everything will go down.

First off it seems like the NHL has a well thought out plan. They are looking at the two hub cities they will have and also aren’t rushing things.

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The earliest we could see games return seems to be late July or August. So even though there is hope that we will be playing hockey, we still have to wait a little bit longer.

Along with this, we will start to see players return to practice facilities. There will be no contact, a limit on players, and no coaches but it is a start.

Now I have to admit that there is one gripe that I have with the return to play format. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed that 24 teams will be returning to play.

I don’t necessarily have a problem with that. The problem I have is that the Bruins could end up not being the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The top 4 teams in each conference will participate in a round-robin tournament prior to the playoffs in order to determine the top 4 seeds. So essentially if the Boston Bruins have one bad day it ruins their chance of getting the No.1 seed.

Boston Bruins big losers in this new playoff format

This format has the possibility to completely disregard the Boston Bruins regular season success. Even though they were far and away the best team in the NHL, they could not be a No.1 seed.

The Bruins were the only team in the NHL to reach 100 points. The stats and the performance on the ice showed that they are the best team.

Now all this complaining could be for naught. All the Bruins have to do is win the round-robin tournament.

But if they somehow don’t, Bruins fans have a right to be angry. They were cheated out of a No.1 seed.

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So don’t worry everyone, the Boston Bruins will be back soon enough.