You can look at it that way.
Or you can look at it as a way to conclude the regular season in a new way, adapting to the fact that the world has changed, without bringing back the teams that are out of it, followed by the usual 16 team, four round tournament. Close enough without risking anything for the 7 teams that are truly out of it
And I really don’t get the whole dismissal of it as a cash grab. Big deal. They want to make money, companies will pay for TV advertising, people will be entertained. It will give people other than players work and get some money moving
MLB has play-in for their playoffs. They didn’t change the World Series when they introduced it. NHL is adapting to different circumstances.
And the Stanley Cup, as sacred as you want it to be, has teams with huge asterisks. Dallas, who won with a skate in the crease, and TB. It was in
The world has changed. Deal with it.
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