Report: Length of 1st series after play-in round still up for discussion

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Conventional wisdom dictates the true Stanley Cup Playoffs feature best-of-seven series, but under these unconventional conditions, that tradition is being reconsidered.

In addition to the debate over whether to reseed or use a bracketed structure following the play-in round of the proposed 24-team playoff format, another matter that remains undecided is whether the first round of the 16-team postseason will feature five- or seven-game series, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

As currently constructed, the 24-team format would reportedly involve a round-robin tournament between the top four teams in each conference (with those clubs progressing to the next round regardless of result), and bracket-based, best-of-five series between each conference's eight next-best clubs to determine matchups in the round of 16.

While the best-of-five nature of the play-in round has been agreed upon, the question is whether to continue with shortened series once the "real" playoffs begin.

The NHLPA said Friday that its executive board has authorized further talks with the league regarding the return-to-play proposal, but made it clear that some issues still need to be ironed out.

"Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play," the union wrote in a statement.