Ah fuck, clicked to see @Berocka’s response and lost mine in the process, oh well.
On the whole I agree with @diamond_ace. The VHLM is first and foremost a tool to teach new players how things work and get them engaged and coming back. When we moved to 11 teams we did discuss 6 vs. 8 playoff teams and ultimately settled on 8 because we do want more people to experience the playoffs in the VHLM. Having it the same as the VHL now is a nice bonus.
@GustavMattias is correct that this hurts competitiveness in the regular season a bit and that is a bit of a downside I’ll admit but one that, IMO, is worth it. Does the 8th place team stand a chance at beating the first place team? Not likely but it could happen and more importantly it gives new guys a bit of a taste of playoff time even if it’s only a few games.
Also I hate byes with a passion so balance is nice but that’s a minor thing haha.