The NHLPA board is currently voting on the NHL's proposed 24-team playoff format, which would include the the Western Conference's 12th place Chicago Blackhawks and the Eastern Conference's Montreal Canadiens.
In an interview with Sportsnet 590's "Lead Off" on Friday, Sportsnet's 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.
Related: Blackhawks to play Oilers in 24-team playoff proposal
The play-in round is reportedly best-of-5 in the current proposal.
In the East, players were concerned about a certain Canadiens goalie stealing a series. "Pittsburgh looked at its matchup and it said 'two out of three against Carey Price is not fair for a team that had zero percentage points to play in the playoffs," Friedman said.
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