Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion watches the team practice during training camp in Ottawa, Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. The Senators were one of the seven teams that did not qualify for the 24-team playoffs, but they can make trades with the other six in the meantime.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
When the NHL season resumes with a 24-team postseason, the seven teams left out of the playoffs apparently won’t be entirely left out of the action.
According to a report Thursday by The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the seven teams that will not be part of the postseason will be allowed to trade, but only with other non-playoff clubs.
Those seven teams are the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils.
This is actually keeping with traditional NHL rules, as teams are allowed to make trades after the trade deadline. However, NHL regulations prohibit players acquired after the deadline from playing in the postseason with their new team, hence why post-deadline trades are so rare.
The seven non-playoff teams will be placed in the draft lottery, which also will include the eight teams that are eliminated during the best-of-five qualifying round for the playoffs.
The lottery will feature two phases, with the first phase taking place June 26, before the qualifying postseason round. If the top three picks are all awarded to bottom-seven teams, the second phase of the lottery won’t take place, and all remaining teams will be seeded in reverse order of the regular-season standings.
The eight teams that lose in the qualifying round will have equal lottery odds if a second phase is held.
The 24-team playoffs will begin as soon as late July in two hub cities, which have yet to be determined.