REPORT: The NHL Had To Change The Playoff Format Because Teams Were Afraid Of Patrick Kane

(NBC Sports)--Elliotte Friedman said the league initially pitched that the play-in round be a best-of-3 series and some players weren't having it, partially due to a three-time Stanley Cup champion superstar forward with the Hawks.

"I did hear that the Western teams - and now it's going to be Edmonton - they were like, 'two out of three with Patrick Kane? I mean come on,'" Friedman said on the show.

"Congratulations, Edmonton Oilers, you are back in the playoffs and you prize is a best of three with the Chicago Blackhawks"

Connor McDavid:

When Patrick Kane goes into the Hall of Fame some day it'll say "3x Stanley Cup Champion, Conn Smythe, Art Ross, Hart Trophy, 15x all-star, and that one time in 2020 the league said he was too dangerous to be involved in a best of 3 series". The ultimate compliment. Nobody on the planet trusts themselves against Kane with the season on the line. Not even a guy called McJesus. Eventually, the best team wins out in a best of 7. That is almost always the case. Can Patrick Kane essentially win two games by himself by being a god damn freak of nature with an assassin brain? Yeah, you bet he can. Which is why the best of 3 got shot down. Patrick Kane has real estate in everyone's head. Now the first round will last longer than it should probably, delaying this entire process and pushing back the start to 2020-21 all because Kane can straight up kill you in an instant. What a gangster