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Interesting article in the Toronto Star outlining some possible realignment options. For those who don't know, Winnipeg will play in the Southeast Division in Atlanta's spot this coming season just to make scheduling easy. Next year, realignment of the divisions is expected.
Personally, I'd probably just swap Winnipeg and Nashville, but as the article points out, this may not be popular among league governors.
Personally, I'd probably just swap Winnipeg and Nashville, but as the article points out, this may not be popular among league governors.
3 ways the NHL can realign
Kevin McGran
Sports Reporter
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has a problem on his hands.
It's partly historic. It's partly geographic. But it's all political.
The Winnipeg Jets, back in the Great White North after a 15-year absence, are in the Eastern Conference — and in the Southeast Division, no less.
Bettman promises that will be for one year only. The simple solution, geographically speaking, would be to insert Winnipeg into the Central Division in 2012-13 and pop Nashville into Atlanta's vacated spot in the Southeast.
But it won't be that easy.
Both Detroit and Columbus want to come east. Winnipeg wants to be in the same division as Edmonton and Calgary. It's going to take some finagling on Bettman's part, but no matter what, the NHL is going to look very different in 2012-13.
Here are some ideas
OPTION 1
Abolish the divisions.
The six divisions were created so more teams can hang “division champion” banners. But as long as the playoff teams are based on the top eight in the conference, the divisions are essentially meaningless.
What newspaper's agate pages carry the league by divisions? They mostly run conference standings, with little “x's” so you can tell who the division champions and top seeds are.
Baseball is considering blowing up its divisions and returning to two leagues, a format that would balance the schedule. Why not do the same in hockey and run a more balanced schedule?
You could keep the East-West format if you like and go with:
East: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston, N.Y. Rangers, N.Y. Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida, Detroit.
West: Columbus, Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Colorado, Minnesota, Dallas, Anaheim, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Jose.
Advantages: It's probably the easiest sell within the NHL's board of governors — to everybody, that is, but Columbus ... A balanced schedule is fairer in a salary-cap world.
Disadvantages: Western teams won't like losing Detroit, a draw as a road team ... NHL has tried to build up divisional rivalries with its unbalanced schedule and risks taking a step back in that regard ... This whole East vs. West thing is a bit old.
OPTION 2
The Canadian solution.
Part of the NHL's challenge involves travel and keeping divisions on a north-south divide and proximity basis to keep costs down. But if the league thinks of itself continentally, even nationally, it can see things differently.
Four teams in each conference make the playoffs.
The four conference champions become the Stanley Cup semifinalists, seeded 1-4 based on regular-season points. Unbalance the schedule to give conference games more meaning.
Canadian Conference: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver.
Eastern Conference: Boston, Rangers, Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Carolina.
Midwest Conference: Detroit, Columbus, Chicago, St. Louis, Colorado, Minnesota, Buffalo, Nashville.
Sunshine Conference: Tampa Bay, Florida, Dallas, Anaheim, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Jose.
(If you like, you could create a Western Conference instead of a Sunshine Conference by flipping Colorado and Minnesota for Tampa Bay and Florida.)
Advantages: Canada produces a champion and a Canadian team is guaranteed to get at least as far as the semifinals ... NHL gets to create trophies for two more conferences, adding them to the Clarence Campbell and Prince of Wales.
Disadvantage: Some teams in the Canadian and Sunshine conferences won't like the east-west travel ... Some conferences have seven teams, some have eight, meaning it's easier for some teams to make the playoffs.
OPTION 3
Four divisions, from a different geographic perspective. This time, use a schedule in which you play home and away at least once against the other conference and lump the divisions within two conferences, with the top eight teams in both conferences making the playoffs.
Great Lakes Division: Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Columbus.
Atlantic Division: Boston, Rangers, Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Florida, Tampa Bay, Washington.
Midwest Division: Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Carolina, Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Winnipeg.
Pacific Division: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Phoenix.
Advantages: That the top eight in each conference make the playoffs keeps it fair for those in eight-team divisions vs. those in seven-team divisions ... Toronto gets to play Detroit again (those two teams are the second-biggest playoff rivals, behind Montreal-Boston, in terms of number of series played).
Disadvantages: The division names don't work precisely (Chicago is on a Great Lake, Ottawa isn't), but you get the idea ... Winnipeg could flip to the Pacific if it wanted to be in same division as other western Canadian teams, but in a balanced schedule it wouldn't matter.
Kevin McGran
Sports Reporter
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has a problem on his hands.
It's partly historic. It's partly geographic. But it's all political.
The Winnipeg Jets, back in the Great White North after a 15-year absence, are in the Eastern Conference — and in the Southeast Division, no less.
Bettman promises that will be for one year only. The simple solution, geographically speaking, would be to insert Winnipeg into the Central Division in 2012-13 and pop Nashville into Atlanta's vacated spot in the Southeast.
But it won't be that easy.
Both Detroit and Columbus want to come east. Winnipeg wants to be in the same division as Edmonton and Calgary. It's going to take some finagling on Bettman's part, but no matter what, the NHL is going to look very different in 2012-13.
Here are some ideas
OPTION 1
Abolish the divisions.
The six divisions were created so more teams can hang “division champion” banners. But as long as the playoff teams are based on the top eight in the conference, the divisions are essentially meaningless.
What newspaper's agate pages carry the league by divisions? They mostly run conference standings, with little “x's” so you can tell who the division champions and top seeds are.
Baseball is considering blowing up its divisions and returning to two leagues, a format that would balance the schedule. Why not do the same in hockey and run a more balanced schedule?
You could keep the East-West format if you like and go with:
East: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston, N.Y. Rangers, N.Y. Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida, Detroit.
West: Columbus, Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Colorado, Minnesota, Dallas, Anaheim, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Jose.
Advantages: It's probably the easiest sell within the NHL's board of governors — to everybody, that is, but Columbus ... A balanced schedule is fairer in a salary-cap world.
Disadvantages: Western teams won't like losing Detroit, a draw as a road team ... NHL has tried to build up divisional rivalries with its unbalanced schedule and risks taking a step back in that regard ... This whole East vs. West thing is a bit old.
OPTION 2
The Canadian solution.
Part of the NHL's challenge involves travel and keeping divisions on a north-south divide and proximity basis to keep costs down. But if the league thinks of itself continentally, even nationally, it can see things differently.
Four teams in each conference make the playoffs.
The four conference champions become the Stanley Cup semifinalists, seeded 1-4 based on regular-season points. Unbalance the schedule to give conference games more meaning.
Canadian Conference: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver.
Eastern Conference: Boston, Rangers, Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Carolina.
Midwest Conference: Detroit, Columbus, Chicago, St. Louis, Colorado, Minnesota, Buffalo, Nashville.
Sunshine Conference: Tampa Bay, Florida, Dallas, Anaheim, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Jose.
(If you like, you could create a Western Conference instead of a Sunshine Conference by flipping Colorado and Minnesota for Tampa Bay and Florida.)
Advantages: Canada produces a champion and a Canadian team is guaranteed to get at least as far as the semifinals ... NHL gets to create trophies for two more conferences, adding them to the Clarence Campbell and Prince of Wales.
Disadvantage: Some teams in the Canadian and Sunshine conferences won't like the east-west travel ... Some conferences have seven teams, some have eight, meaning it's easier for some teams to make the playoffs.
OPTION 3
Four divisions, from a different geographic perspective. This time, use a schedule in which you play home and away at least once against the other conference and lump the divisions within two conferences, with the top eight teams in both conferences making the playoffs.
Great Lakes Division: Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Columbus.
Atlantic Division: Boston, Rangers, Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Florida, Tampa Bay, Washington.
Midwest Division: Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Carolina, Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Winnipeg.
Pacific Division: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Phoenix.
Advantages: That the top eight in each conference make the playoffs keeps it fair for those in eight-team divisions vs. those in seven-team divisions ... Toronto gets to play Detroit again (those two teams are the second-biggest playoff rivals, behind Montreal-Boston, in terms of number of series played).
Disadvantages: The division names don't work precisely (Chicago is on a Great Lake, Ottawa isn't), but you get the idea ... Winnipeg could flip to the Pacific if it wanted to be in same division as other western Canadian teams, but in a balanced schedule it wouldn't matter.
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