The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association inked a new collective bargaining agreement on July 6, through Sept. 15, 2030. The current CBA ends after the 2025-26 season. With league expansion possible, many are discussing whether the playoff field should change. Some NHL stars at the Player Media Tour in Las Vegas were asked about the topic, and they shared their opinions.Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said the NHL may need to adjust if it expands."We’re about to have more sports teams in a league than any other sports league in North America," McAvoy said on Monday, via The Athletic. "So, that in itself is something. Should that change the parameters? Perhaps. I think that ushering in new change, right? If that’s going to change (more teams), maybe other things need to change."The 2026-27 season will feature a longer schedule as teams will play 84 games instead of 82. This adjustment, along with other changes, was the primary reason behind the discussion of also changing the playoff format.However, a lot of players prefer keeping 16 teams. Colorado Avalanche's Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Cale Makar was one of them."I like the way it is, personally," Maker said. "I think it’s a great playoff format, other than one to eight, we should probably go back to that. I feel like all the players want back to 1 to 8. I think that's a thing that we'd like, but I get it. I understand the playoff format now. It makes the road harder sometimes."Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel also wants the playoffs to remain the same."I believe it should stay," Eichel said. "I think if you’re going to change anything, maybe just the format of the playoffs itself, just seed it one through eight."Other players supported the 16-team format, like Washington Capitals forward Pierre-Luc Dubois."Right now, I like 16 teams because of the 32 teams," Dubois said. "It’s 50 percent. But if they moved on from that (if the league expands) and tried something new, I like trying new things."Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat also shared his thoughts."It’s been 16 teams for a long time," DeBrincat said. "I would love to be in the playoffs every year, but I think that’s what makes it that much better, that not everyone makes it every year. It makes it so hard to win the Stanley Cup. I think I would keep it the same."Expansion could change the format in the future, but the majority value the challenge and tradition of the system in place.Cale Makar and Jack Eichel discussed matchups in NHL playoffsThe NHL wild card often leads to the same matchups each year. Avalanche defenseman Cole Makar acknowledged this, but he still prefers to keep the current format."I mean, if you're from Edmonton or L.A., I'd say so, yeah," Makar said on Monday, via ESPN. "Sometimes you get a good matchup and sometimes you are playing a top-six team with another top-six team, like we did this past year. That's the way she goes."For obvious reasons. We’re playing Dallas in the first round, a top-six (overall team) and we were top six, too. But I would still keep 16 teams. I wouldn’t expand it."Golden Knights center Jack Eichel added that the current format creates repeat matchups every year. He suggested using a 1-through-8 format for more variety."You see the same matchups year after year because of the way the current situation is formatted," Eichel said. "I think if you went to 1 through 8, you might see two teams who haven’t played each other in a playoff series have to play each other earlier. That would be what I would change."Eichel highlighted that he does not like the play-in format, as he prefers a simpler playoff system without extra games.