VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 28: Mikael Granlund #64 of the Minnesota Wild is stopped by goaltender Eddie Lack #31 of the Vancouver Canucks during a shootout of their NHL game at Rogers Arena on February 28, 2014 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Ben Nelms/Getty Images)
If the latest playoff format were to be accepted, the added play-in series would rekindle a heated rivalry between the Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild.
It’s been more than a decade since the Vancouver Canucks considered the Minnesota Wild a heated rival. Splitting them from the same division back in 2013-14 when the divisions realigned may have had something to do with that, but if the NHL and NHLPA’s latest playoff proposal gets accepted, their once hot hatred for one another could quickly escalate into an all-out wildfire.