I’m afraid the above, especially with the reference to the 2018/19 season, has imo muddied the waters more. Perhaps the following will clarify the situation.
FROM CHAMPIONSHOCKEYLEAGUE.COM
At its meeting held in Vienna (in December) the CHL Board approved that HK Gomel (BLR), the Belfast Giants (GBR) and GKS Katowice (POL) fulfil the standards required to qualify for the 2019/20 Champions Hockey League should they win the Continental Cup. All of them would be new in Europe’s most prestigious club competition, as none of them have played in the Champions Hockey League before.
Should HK Gomel, the Belfast Giants or GKS Katowice win the IIHF Continental Cup, their national league will be granted an additional second place for the 2019/20 Champions Hockey League season – which is allocated to the league champions. Should the IIHF Continental Cup winners also be the national champions, the second place will be allocated to the regular season winners of Belarus/Poland or to the playoff winners of Great Britain (as, in line with their traditions, the EIHL crowns their national champions at the end of the regular season).
So, in case it’s still not clear, if Giants win the Continental Cup it DOES give them a CHL spot next season. In that case, the team that wins the Elite league will also get a CHL spot BUT if that happens to be the Giants (God forbid) then the place goes instead to the playoff winners. There seems to be no mention of what happens if Giants claim that too. Playoff runners up might get it but I suppose it could well be that only 1 spot will be awarded in the CHL with the PO runners up going into the Continental Cup. However, when the Devils won the league and PO’s last season, the CC place went to the Challenge Cup winners, which painfully for us Devils fans was Belfast!