I agree saying it's rigged is a dumb assed thing to say.
But then the refs are saying oopsy-daisy for that 5 minute major that lost the Knights the game.
Or how about the Caps/Canes overtime missed delay of game penalty on the Caps Brett Connolly. Then they call the Canes Saku Maenalanen for the doing the exact same thing as Connolly. Both over the glass the exact same way, one's a penalty, one's not.
I know this is only a couple examples of bad reffing, not fixing.
But the fix conspiracy is not my idea, nor is it a new idea:
Paste:
https://www.thesportster.com/hockey/15-nhl-conspiracy-theories-that-might-actually-be-true/
#8
The NHL Playoffs Are Rigged To Keep Big-Market Teams In Longer
This is another theory that is nearly impossible to prove but is also entirely possible. The NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs are a difficult journey for any team to get through, requiring the squad to get through four 7-game series.
While the Cup has been in the hands of the Blackhawks, Kings, and Penguins more often than not in the past 8 years, the NHL still has the most parity out of all major North American sports.
With this being said, there are obviously some teams that the league itself would prefer to do better than others for financial purposes. A big-market team like the Leafs or Blackhawks winning games does more for the league than a team like Phoenix or Florida winning would. Because of this, one could believe that the NHL, potentially in cahoots with the referees, might take action to ensure that more popular teams have deep playoff runs in an effort to boost TV ratings and merchandise sales.
This conspiracy theory could be completely ridiculous to some, but to others it does make sense and has a very strong possibility of happening.