The NHL has finally adopted a new realignment plan, scrapping the current 6 division, 2 conference format and instead adopting a 4 conference format. Two of the four conferences will contain 8 teams and the other two conferences will contain 7 teams.
Conference A:
Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks
Vancouver Canucks
Conference B:
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets
Conference C:
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Conference D:
Carolina Hurricanes
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Regular Season Quick Hits
- Each team will play a home and home with every team outside of its conference
- In the 7 team conferences, each team will 3 home games and 3 road games with every team in the conference. (36 divisional games)
- In the 8 team conferences, each team will either play each other 5 or 6 times and it will rotate, allowing for a total of 38 divisional games
Playoffs
- The top 4 teams in each conference will qualify for the playoffs. The first round will be a "divisional" matchup as the top seed from each conference will play the 4th seed from that same conference and the 2nd seed from that conference will play the 3rd seed of that conference.
- The 2nd round will pit the winners of the 1v4 and 2v3 matchups within the conference. This will allow the NHL to establish a "conference winner".
- The 3rd round will consist of the 4 conference winners and they will compete for the Stanley Cup. There is a potential that the NHL may reseed the teams at this stage in order to have the highest seed play the lowest seed.
What is still left to be determined
- Will the NHL reseed in the Semifinals?
- What will the conference names be?
Pros
- Reduction of Travel for some teams
- Every Team gets a home and away with every team
- The institution of a divisional round in the playoffs can build fierce rivalries
- Many current NHL rivalries were preserved (Chicago-Detroit, Philadelphia-Pittsburgh, Washington-Pittsburgh, Boston-Montreal)
Cons
- The divisions that have 8 teams will make it more difficult for each team to get to the playoffs. The historical evidence of this goes back to the old 4 conference format the NHL used to have. There were 3 divisions that had 5 teams and one division that had 6. The division that had 6 used to require more points just to be able to get into the playoffs. There is the potential that it may take 100 points to get into the playoffs in the 8 team conferences.
- Some teams now must travel a lot more. Teams like Ottawa and Montreal now must travel to Florida and Tampa Bay 3 times during the year. However, there is no one system that could appease everybody
So after that general breakdown, how does realignment specifically affect your team?
Anaheim Ducks
- Pros
- Anaheim keeps a lot of its divisional rivalries from the Pacific Division as San Jose, Phoenix, and Los Angeles all came over with them.
- Anaheim now gets to have a home and away series with every team, meaning that they get to bring the likes of Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Steven Stamkos to their building every year which should hopefully help with ticket sales.
- Cons
- With only 4 teams making the playoffs from this conference, Anaheim will have to contend with the likes of perennial powers in San Jose and Vancouver as well as strong up and comers in Los Angeles, Colorado, and Edmonton. Phoenix is always a wild-card for the playoffs so this could potentially be a division where it takes 100 points to get into the playoffs. This will make it very difficult for Anaheim to compete on a yearly basis and will put the onus on their ownership to make this team much better
Boston Bruins
- Pros
- Boston gets to preserve its rivalry with Montreal which has been very heated of late.
- Boston can look to develop a rivalry with Tampa Bay after that awesome playoff series last year and with both teams loaded for the long haul, this could be an electric rivalry
- This conference contains a lot of up-and-comers but no real perennial challengers, so for the next couple of years, the Bruins have the potential to pencil a playoff spot as Toronto, Buffalo, and Florida continue to develop
- After the heated games between Boston and Buffalo this year, this new format has allowed those two teams to potentially develop a very strong rivalry
- Cons
- Travel will definitely be up for the Bruins as they have to make 3 trips to Florida and 3 trips to Tampa Bay. Hopefully, scheduling will allow them to make Florida road trips so they don't have to make too many separate trips to Florida.
Buffalo Sabres
- Pros
- As mentioned above, the chance to grow their rivalry with the Bruins remains
- Buffalo gets to bring in several high profile teams from their conference 3 times a year, which should help their ticket sales. With Boston, Toronto, and Ottawa visiting 3 times a year as well as home and away with every team in the NHL, attendance should not be an issue for Buffalo (currently middle of the pack at 13th)
- Cons
- Travel again will be an issue as Buffalo has to make trips to Florida for games against the Panthers and the Lightning. That will be the prevailing issue for this Conference as almost every conference is organized geographically, but this conference was not.
- In a division with several up and comers, it will be difficult to make the playoffs in the near future as Toronto and Florida continue to develop. Buffalo will have to keep up, and hopefully Pegula will be able to keep this team steered in the right direction. So far, their big offseason splashes haven't panned out, and its time to wonder if the Sabres should look to moving either Miller or Enroth to bring in some good return
Calgary Flames
- Pros
- Calgary and Edmonton can continue their battle of Alberta in Conference A as both teams stayed together.
- Calgary and Los Angeles ended up in the same division, which will bring us the battle of the Sutter's. This will definitely bring us some intense matchups
- Cons
- As mentioned above with Anaheim, Calgary will definitely struggle to make the playoffs in the near future. With their superstar Jarome Iginla getting older and no real future set in place, the Flames are not in position to compete in the division. Teams like San Jose, Vancouver, Los Angeles, and even Edmonton and Colorado are in better positions down the road to compete for those 4 playoff spots so it will be interesting to see how Calgary adapts to this situation.
Carolina Hurricanes
- Pros
- The biggest pro for the Hurricanes is the fact that they get to bring every team into their building at least once. Carolina is 26th in the NHL this year in attendance and will benefit greatly from having Western powers Chicago, Detroit, San Jose, and Vancouver in their building once every year as well as having Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin, the Flyers, and the Rangers in their division.
- The Hurricanes will reduce their travel from this year as they no longer have to deal with trips to Winnipeg.
- Cons
- The bad news for the Hurricanes is that I can't see them making the playoffs any time soon. Yes this team has young talent in Jeff Skinner, but having to contend with the Penguins, Capitals, Rangers, and Flyers, will be a nightmare for them. Unless one of those teams contends with serious injuries, I can't foresee a scenario in which any team but those 4 would qualify for the playoffs in that conference.
Chicago Blackhawks
- Pros
- Chicago keeps its resurgent rivalry with the Red Wings. Ever since Chicago returned to prominence, the games between the Red Wings and Blackhawks have been some of the best in the NHL and it was almost imperative for the NHL to keep these two teams together
- Chicago will also benefit from a reduction in travel as the number of West Coast swings will be reduced. However, Chicago still gets to keep its rivalry with Vancouver going as Vancouver will visit the United Center once every year.
- Cons
- This is another tough division. As of today, if the playoffs started under the current format, 6 of these 8 teams would be in the playoffs, with Winnipeg being 9th in the East and Columbus being the only team that's well out of it. Chicago will have to contend with the reality that all 38 of their conference games will be played against potential playoff contenders and there will be no cake walks in this division. A down year in any way, and Chicago could miss the playoffs.
Colorado Avalanche
- Pros
- Colorado will get to bring every team into its building, which will hopefully help them increase their atrocious attendance. Colorado used to be an NHL powerhouse, but of late, they have not been great and their attendance has reflected that. Colorado is 23rd in the NHL this year and that's the highest they've been since 2007-2008, the last time they got out of the 1st round of the playoffs.
- Colorado will get to keep most of its divisional members as Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton will be in the same division.
- Cons
- Colorado has a solid young team, but in this division, it will be very difficult to make the playoffs. San Jose and Vancouver seem to have 2 of the 4 spots locked up for the near future. Colorado will have to contend with Phoenix, Edmonton, and Los Angeles for the final 2 spots in that conference.
- Colorado will have to make more Eastern Conference swings as they now have to visit every Eastern Conference team at least once.
- Colorado and Detroit will no longer meet 3 or 4 times a year as they had been the past few years, leading us to believe that this once fierce rivalry will never be rekindled.
Columbus Blue Jackets
- Pros
- The biggest winner attendance-wise should be the Columbus Blue Jackets as they now get to bring every team into their building and hopefully that should increase their attendance. If not, this may be a team that might need to get relocated to another Canadian city, perhaps Hamilton? Since the lockout, Columbus has not finished higher than 17th in attendance, and have been in the bottom 5 the past 3 years. Hopefully, by keeping Chicago and Detroit in their division and getting to have all the Eastern Conference superstars come into their building once a year, the attendance will rise in Columbus
- Cons
- Unfortunately, while their attendance might receive a boost, it is very difficult to see Columbus making the playoffs any time soon. With Detroit, Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg, Dallas, and Minnesota in their division, it's hard to see Columbus finishing better than last in the division, let alone in the top 4 to qualify for the playoffs. This makes me think that Columbus might soon get relocated to a fan base that can actually support the team and bolster their return back to the playoffs.
Dallas Stars
- Pros
- Another winner in the attendance department. Dallas, like Colorado, used to be a powerhouse in the Western Conference, but in recent years has struggled to maintain success. Even this year with Dallas being in the playoff hunt, their attendance is 2nd to last in the NHL. Even in 2007-2008 when the team reached the conference finals, Dallas ranked only 18th in the NHL in attendance. Hopefully the opportunity to bring every team into their building as well as being in a division with Detroit and Chicago will help bring those attendance numbers up. This is a city that is capable of supporting an NHL team as Dallas used to be a regular in the top 10 in attendance.
- Dallas gets to have Minnesota in their division, which can start a rivalry between the former Minnesota North Stars and the Minnesota Wild. These games have been intense over the years and this rivalry has the opportunity to grow.
- Cons
- This will be a very competitive division for Dallas and it will be very difficult to get into the playoffs. Even if they do manage to sneak into the playoffs as the 3rd or 4th seed, they will almost be guaranteed a matchup with either Detroit or Chicago, which will make it very difficult for the Stars to get through the playoffs and build back their bandwagon.
- Dallas will probably have to do the most travel out of any of the teams in this division as they are geographically the furthest away from the other teams.
Detroit Red Wings
- Pros
- The Red Wings got the realignment that they wanted. They will have fewer Western swings, more games in the Eastern time zone, and they got to keep their rivalry with Chicago. This realignment plan was heavily centered around the Red Wings and their wishes.
- The recent surge in attendance by the Red Wings fans can only be boosted by being guaranteed to see every team in the NHL at least once a year. The economic situation in Detroit has made it difficult for fans to get to the games, but recently, the sellout streak has started back up and seeing every team can only help
- Also for the playoffs, they are pretty much guaranteed not to have a playoff game start later than 9:30 for the first two rounds as the first two rounds are divisional.
- Cons
- As mentioned before several times, Conference B will be a very difficult conference that may require 100 points just to qualify. With many of Detroit's superstars starting to hit the downward part of their careers, the onus will be on Ken Holland to continue to rebuild on the fly as he has for the past 10 years in order to stay competitive
Edmonton Oilers
- Pros
- As mentioned before, they will keep the battle of Alberta with Calgary.
- Don't know if this will be a factor at all, but Edmonton and LA do have a bit of bad blood going between them since the Ryan Smyth-Colin Fraser trade. There is the potential for a rivalry to develop here if these teams are forced to play each other 5-6 times a year.
- Cons
- Once again, the real loser in this realignment scheme were all of the up and coming teams. A team like Edmonton that has so many young guns but just isn't ready to win on the big stage will struggle in this realignment scheme as only 4 teams from a conference can make the playoffs. That means they will have to be better than Vancouver, San Jose, Phoenix, and LA, 4 teams that have made the playoffs the past couple of seasons.
Florida Panthers
- Pros
- Florida is a young team that is coming into its own this year. They've gotten solid goaltending, timely goal scoring, and a very productive defense. This new realignment scheme will give them a chance to contend for a playoff scheme as the only established contender is Boston. Tampa, Buffalo, and Montreal have all had their ups and downs so Florida is being given a legitimate chance to qualify for the playoffs. Panthers fans, get your rats out!
- For attendance purposes, Florida is another winner as they get to bring in every team to their building as well as getting several matchups a year with Boston, Toronto, and Ottawa.
- Cons
- As they are being given a shot in this division, so are Toronto, Ottawa, and Buffalo. There are 3 playoff spots up for grabs and Florida will have to contend with several other up and coming teams. Whichever teams progress and gel faster will get the inside track to those playoff spots so it will be imperative for Florida to build off whatever momentum they generate from this season. They are currently leading their division, and if they can take that all the way to the playoffs and add another high profile free agent, this team will be set for the future
Los Angeles Kings
- Pros
- As mentioned with Edmonton, Los Angeles might develop a rivalry with Edmonton as bad blood definitely exists between the two teams after the botched trade this offseason.
- Los Angeles will get to add another high profile team to its conference in Vancouver which can only bolster their middle of the pack attendance numbers (14th)
- Cons
- Well if Los Angeles didn't have enough problems on its hand. The team already can't score and now it has to play in a division that has Vancouver, San Jose, and Edmonton, all in the top 1/3rd of the NHL in scoring. Also 5 of the other 7 teams are in the top half of the NHL in defense, so Los Angeles is going to have to solve their scoring woes before they get into that division next year, otherwise they are in big trouble
- Los Angeles will also have to make more cross country trips as they are required to make a trip to every Eastern Conference building.
Minnesota Wild
- Pros
- Minnesota is another big winner in this realignment. They get to build a rivalry with the Stars, minimize their travel, add more games against Chicago and Detroit, and they get games against every team in their building. What more could Wild fans want? With the team peaking this season, they could make it very interesting next year with Detroit and Chicago in competition for the top 2 spots in the conference.
- Cons
- The only downside is that if Minnesota can't build on their strong regular season this year and then gets moved into a conference that has Detroit, Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis, they could find themselves hard pressed to make the playoffs on a regular basis.
Montreal Canadiens
- Pros
- The rivalry with the Bruins can continue. Those have been some of the most physical regular season games and it would have been a shame to lose them. For our benefit, they shall continue.
- Montreal gets to also keep its rivalry with Toronto and as Toronto gets better, these games will get fiercer.
- Cons
- Again, the fact that only 4 teams can make the playoffs from each conference will hurt the Canadiens. This seems to be a team loaded with bad contracts and on their way down instead of up. Having to contend with Boston, Buffalo, Florida, Toronto, and Tampa will make it very difficult for the Canadiens to sneak in.
Nashville Predators
- Pros
- The Predators keep Chicago and Detroit in their division which is important for their attendance figures
- The Predators get to add another big attendance draw in Winnipeg as that team's fan base travels fairly well
- The amount of travel is minimized for the Predators and they get more games in the Eastern time zone
- Cons
- The tough Central Division got that much tougher with the additions of Dallas, Minnesota, and Winnipeg, 3 teams that are currently in playoff contention under the current format. Nashville has been a playoff regular this past decade but it will be that much tougher to get in. The Predators will be forced to spend money in order to keep pace in this conference.
New Jersey Devils
- Pros
- The Devils have had attendance problems this entire decade and being in a division with Crosby, the Rangers, and the Flyers clearly hasnt helped. Well, lets add Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals and see if those numbers can't improve at all.
- The Devils keep their entire Atlantic Division together and keep all the rivalries that have been forged.
- Cons
- As mentioned before, Conference D is loaded. The Rangers, Penguins, Capitals, and Flyers all seem to have the inside track to playoff spots and they will have to compete with the up and coming
New York Islanders
- Pros
- The Islanders get to keep the entire Atlantic division as well as adding the Washington Capitals as a draw. Hopefully they can parlay this into better attendance numbers or at least a better reasoning as to why they need a new building out there.
- Cons
- Another up-and-comer that will suffer because of this realignment. The Islanders are not too far away from contending, but by being cast into a division that has the Penguins, Flyers, Rangers, and Capitals, it's going to be very difficult for the Islanders to post a winning season, let alone get into the playoffs with 24 of their games coming against the Penguins, Capitals, Rangers, and Flyers.
New York Rangers
- Pros
- The Rangers get to keep their Atlantic Division "buddies" in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and those rivalries will continue to grow as the Rangers start to reach the level that the Flyers and Penguins have been on for the past few years.
- The Rangers get the opportunity to forge a rivalry with another Eastern power in Washington
- Cons
- Tough going for the playoffs, but if the Rangers keep playing the way they are playing, they should be able to get into the playoffs
- Increased travel as they have to get out West to meet every team
Ottawa Senators
- Pros
- They keep fellow compatriots in Toronto and Montreal.
- They are put in a division where they have an opportunity to succeed in the near future
- Cons
- They will not only have increased intradivisional travel, but they will also have increased travel to other teams. They have to make trips to Florida as well as to all the Western Conference teams which will put a little more strain on this team. However, they are young and should be able to handle it.
- They are racing with Toronto, Buffalo, and Florida for the 3 remaining playoff spots (Boston has one). Their development will be key for their future and I think they are slightly behind Toronto, Florida, and Buffalo.
Philadelphia Flyers
- Pros
- One of the biggest concerns for the Flyers was that they were not going to be able to stay in the same division as the Penguins. Instead, not only do they get to stay with the Penguins, they get to stay with the Rangers, and they add the Capitals. Not bad for the Flyers.
- Cons
- Well hopefully the Flyers did not bite off more than they can chew. They are stuck in a very competitive conference and will have to most likely finish with more than 100 points in order to qualify for the playoffs. They are young up front and will have to keep their defense up in order to maintain success in this new format.
- They will have more of a travel burden as they have to travel to every team out West
Phoenix Coyotes
- Pros
- Phoenix will have an opportunity to keep its unlikely run of playoff appearances going this year. If they can manage to do it again, they will have an opportunity to extend that streak in their new conference. Aside from Vancouver and San Jose, the final two spots are up for grabs and Phoenix has to feel good about their chances. They know what it takes and Dave Tippett's system allows them to always be competitive.
- Phoenix will also have a chance to build upon their much maligned attendance as they now welcome every team to their building which can hopefully boost attendance sales from traveling fans.
- Cons
- They have been put in a conference with some puck possession teams, meaning that it will be harder for Phoenix to play their system as well (see what Detroit has done to them with puck possession the last two years, then look at Vancouver and San Jose).
- Phoenix will have to travel a lot as it now has to make trips to the East Coast with more regularity.
Pittsburgh Penguins
- Pros
- I think the Penguins can be considered a big winner in this realignment scheme. They keep their rivalry with the Flyers, continue to establish their rivalry with the Rangers, and add the Washington Capitals and that heated rivalry to their conference.
- Cons
- The Penguins will have to do some more traveling under this new scheme. The West Coast trips might wear this team down over the long haul
- The Penguins will most likely have to run through two of the three following teams just to make the Conference Finals --> Rangers, Flyers, Capitals. That's not an envious task for anybody and that's just to get to the Conference Finals.
St. Louis Blues
- Pros
- Keeps Central Division foes Detroit and Chicago around. Chicago and St. Louis have been having some tough games of late and that's something that could be built on as St. Louis continues to improve
- Travel is minimized for this team as they don't have to go far out West as much
- Cons
- Playoff spots will be at a premium and St. Louis will have to compete with Minnesota, Dallas, and Nashville for the 2 spots after Detroit and Chicago at least for the near future.
San Jose Sharks
- Pros
- Get to add Vancouver to their conference which will allow that rivalry to continue.
- Has the opportunity to continue their playoff streak as they should be able to stay in the top 4 without too much trouble in the near future
- Cons
- Travel is going to be a big thing for San Jose. They will have to go out East a couple of times during the year and that will be some serious mileage.
Tampa Bay Lightning
- Pros
- Tampa has an opportunity to succeed in their new conference with Boston being the only true power in their conference. The other 3 spots are open and Tampa has as good a chance as any
- Tampa gets an opportunity to forge a rivalry with Boston if the two teams can meet in the playoffs a couple times in a row. Last season's series was very good, but these two have a chance to take it to another level.
- Cons
- Tampa will have to travel a lot more as it has some Canadian teams in its Conference as well as having to make trips out west.
Toronto Maple Leafs
- Pros
- The Maple Leafs get to stay in the same division as Montreal and Boston, two teams that they have had strong clashes with over the past few years.
- The Maple Leafs will also have the opportunity to continue to grow and make the playoffs in the near future. Their conference is one of the more wide open conferences and they have every opportunity to succeed.
- The Maple Leafs will also get to renew the Original 6 rivalries with Chicago and Detroit by getting to play a home and away series with them
- Cons
- The Maple Leafs will be one of the Eastern teams that has to do a lot of traveling.
Vancouver Canucks
- Pros
- Get to move into a conference with San Jose to potentiate that rivalry after last year's excellent series.
- Get to have every team come into their building
- Cons
- That conference will require close to 100 points in order to get into the playoffs.
- The Canucks will have to travel more when they head out east
Washington Capitals
- Pros
- They get to move into a conference with the Penguins which means more Penguins-Caps games for all the fans to enjoy
- Also they get to have more games with the Rangers and Flyers which will be loads of fun for all fans
- Cons
- If Washington fans thought this season was rough, wait until 18 (22%) of their games come agains the Penguins, Rangers, and Flyers. Another 10 games will come against Detroit, Chicago, Boston, Vancouver, and San Jose. The Capitals better find their game soon, otherwise they will get passed by the Islanders, Hurricanes, or Devils.
Winnipeg Jets
- Pros
- First the team comes back, and now you get to play in a division with Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota and St. Louis. It's like the old Norris division from the early '80's. That should keep the Winnipeg train going and keep the fans coming out.
- Cons
- Winnipeg fans, soak up the potential for playoffs this year because in the next few years that might be hard to come by. Winnipeg definitely drew the short straw, getting cast into a division with perennial powerhouses Detroit and Chicago as well as perennial playoff contenders in Nashville and Minnesota. Finally the Blues, Stars, and Blue Jackets are on their way to being contenders. Winnipeg will definitely have to fight as hard as they can to make the playoffs with any regularity.
So there you have it. That's how realignment will affect each team and I'll give 5 my big winners and my 5 big losers from this new scheme here:
Winners (in no particular order)
1. Detroit
2. Boston
3. Chicago
4. Pittsburgh
5. Toronto
Losers (in no particular order)
1. Washington
2. Winnipeg
3. Minnesota
4. Edmonton
5. New York Islanders
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