NHL re-alignment plan approved by BOG

[wendelclark17]

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=6...id=DL|NHL|home

The NHL's Board of Governors approved the realignment plan proposed last week.

The new four-division plan, featuring a new-look set-up for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, will go into effect next season.

The NHL and NHLPA each had input into the plan to realign the League into an more geographically appropriate two-conference, four-division format that features 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 teams in the Western Conference.

The Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets are moving to the Eastern Conference to provide them the ability to play the majority of their games against teams in the same time zone. The Winnipeg Jets are moving to the Western Conference for the same reason.

The Dallas Stars are staying in the Western Conference, but moving into a division that includes five other teams from the Central time zone.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs will still consist of 16 teams, eight in each conference, but it will be division-based and a wild-card system has been added as a new wrinkle.

The top three teams in each division will make-up the first 12 teams in the playoffs. The remaining four spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular-season points and regardless of division. It will be possible, then, for one division to send five teams to the postseason while the other sends three.

The seeding of the wild-card teams within each divisional playoff will be determined on the basis of regular-season points. The division winner with the most points in the conference will be matched against the wild-card team with the lowest number of points; the division winner with the second-most points in the conference will play the wild-card team with the second fewest points.

The teams finishing second and third in each division will play in the first round of the playoffs. The winners of each series will play for the divisional championship.

The two divisional champions in each conference will then play in the conference finals to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The divisions will be temporarily referred to as Division A, Division B, Division C and Division D. Permanent names will be assigned later.

The Western Conference will house Division A and Division B, while Division C and D will consist of eight teams each and make up the Eastern Conference.

Division A is the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks.

Division B features the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets.

Division C has four Original Six franchises: Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning are also in the division.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals will join the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins in Division D.

The new alignment ensures that all 30 teams play in all 30 arenas at least once a season for the first time since 1997-98.
The new alignment plan will be re-evaluated by the NHL and National Hockey League Players' Association following the 2015-16 season.

I love the bolded part .... to be the best in the league you should at least have to play every team home and away.

[tgraveline]

I think Division C having 4 original 4 teams is interesting. I think it kind of makes it THE Division of the league because of that. It makes sense geographically, though. I think I just get worried that its so 2/3s of the original 6.

[Dakkster]

I'm now REALLY pumped about watching Detroit's games next year. Awesome!

[kevinsrangers]

i love a home and away game in each city.

[wendelclark17]

I'm now REALLY pumped about watching Detroit's games next year. Awesome!

yep back to good ole days when the Wings and Leafs were rivals .... Ah the memories of Probert vs Domi and Cicarelli being a ****ing pest! I am really looking forward to it as well.

[hockeyrobot]

Perfect timing for the Winter Classic!!

Not perfect timing for Detroit's dominance in the league.....

[aleco83]

Well teams in the west certainly have better odds of making the playoffs. I'm guessing this makes a move of the Yotes to Seattle that much more probable since you dont want to throw off the divisions any further.

[hockeyrobot]

Well teams in the west certainly have better odds of making the playoffs. I'm guessing this makes a move of the Yotes to Seattle that much more probable since you dont want to throw off the divisions any further.

Yeah Im still surprised it has been approved for that exact reason.......How can Quebec city or Toronto #2 be an option now?

[LawMan]

Yeah Im still surprised it has been approved for that exact reason.......How can Quebec city or Toronto #2 be an option now?

Seems to me if and when one or both of these franchises happen Detroit and/or Columbus get shipped back West (likely to Division B with Colorado then Winnipeg/Minnesota getting pushed to A). I think if Detroit does get pushed to the Central the timezone issue will be mitigated somewhat by the fact that all their division teams are only 1 hour apart and every team plays every other team home-and-away.

[Dakkster]

Seems to me if and when one or both of these franchises happen Detroit and/or Columbus get shipped back West (likely to Division B with Colorado then Winnipeg/Minnesota getting pushed to A). I think if Detroit does get pushed to the Central the timezone issue will be mitigated somewhat by the fact that all their division teams are only 1 hour apart and every team plays every other team home-and-away.

But then it doesn't make sense to move them to the east in the first place.

[tgraveline]

Seattle and maybe Portland are the new expansions. Right now Bettman wants to expand rather than move teams.

[lucifer316]

But then it doesn't make sense to move them to the east in the first place.

one would think so right

[LawMan]

But then it doesn't make sense to move them to the east in the first place.

I think it does. Expansion and/or re-alignment is still a big IF. The Coyotes have been bleeding money for a long time in Phoenix and the calls to move them are nothing new. Plus, if they move to Seattle (or expansion happens there) that makes Division A 7 or 8(w/expansion) teams.

Quebec City's arena is scheduled to be done 2015 and everyone assume they're getting a team once that's done but that could take until the 2016 season or longer and the project still could go off the rails. Toronto 2.0 is another thing that gets talked about a lot but there is no firm committment from anyone that I'm aware of to build the required arena.

Meanwhile, Detroit has been begging for years to be in the East and Columbus is struggling like mad. For at least the next 3-4 seasons they have the opportunity to be there. Also, even if either of these teams gets pushed to Division B I think they'll be ahead of where they are under the current system. Their divisional opponents will all be within 1 timezone and with the home-and-home with every team all teams will play a high number of away games outside their timezone.

[Pengwin7]

Great link wc.
I like that they broke down the schedule to show how that would work.


TOR#2 or QUE could both still happen via Expansion or Phoenix-moving.
I think the NHL would push CBJ into Division B.
Also - there's the possibility that Florida could move/fold. I haven't looked into Florida's financial situation... but they seem like the team in the East closest to the chopping list.

Phoenix moving to Seattle would also work geographically... though it sounds like Seattle may be a few years away following return of a basketball team and arena modifications.

[L2TG]

Reported by NHL.com

opps saw it posted, dammit guys are quick! or maybe i am slow....