Seattle Kraken (coming 2021-2022)

[slickdtc]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

It’s weird that I miss the dominant Detroit Red Wings. They’ve just become another team over the last 5 or so years. So I’m both happy and terrified of Yzerman bringing them back.

[TracerBullet]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

Today is the day.

[Majingir]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

They did their presentation, and went longer than expected(in a good way). 650M in expansion fees for the league will be big. That's like 20M a team, no way anyone rejects them.

[Majingir]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

Notes coming out of today:
-Vegas won't take part in expansion draft, but also won't get expansion money (so 30 teams get over 21.5M each)

-Same protection rules as the Vegas draft

-NHL executive board has recommended Seattle for expansion. Official vote coming in December (all but likely passes)


With Vegas not in the draft, I wonder if that opens up a loophole such as teams trading with Vegas. Send a guy they want to protect but can't, and just throw in some late pick and/or cash to Vegas to hang on to that guy for a week.

[IlliniM1ke]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

Notes coming out of today:
-Vegas won't take part in expansion draft, but also won't get expansion money (so 30 teams get over 21.5M each)

-Same protection rules as the Vegas draft

-NHL executive board has recommended Seattle for expansion. Official vote coming in December (all but likely passes)


With Vegas not in the draft, I wonder if that opens up a loophole such as teams trading with Vegas. Send a guy they want to protect but can't, and just throw in some late pick and/or cash to Vegas to hang on to that guy for a week.

I don't think the NHL was happy that Brooks Orpik got traded to Colorado then got bought out and returned to the Capitals, I can't imagine they would like that hey hold this guy for me while I take part in this draft.

I'm guessing they'll announce something preventing that, but if not you're right why not give a draft pick to stash someone for a week.

[pietasterp]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

Who moves to the West-Central division if/when Seattle comes into the league?

[TracerBullet]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

Who moves to the West-Central division if/when Seattle comes into the league?

My guess is Arizona, though that puts a team with a weird time zone in that division unlike Calgary or Edmonton.

[kehlis]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

My guess is Arizona, though that puts a team with a weird time zone in that division unlike Calgary or Edmonton.

I agree it will be them one way or the other but unless I"m mistaken, once the clock falls back they will be in the same time zone as Colorado since they don't adjust time in Phoenix.

[TracerBullet]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

I agree it will be them one way or the other but unless I"m mistaken, once the clock falls back they will be in the same time zone as Colorado since they don't adjust time in Phoenix.

Yeah, they're gonna be in that time zone for a majority of the season. Just switches back to Pacific in March.

[Majingir]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

Good news: NHL already knows what is happening realignment wise with Seattle entering.
Bad news: Sounds like it's just Arizona switching divisions.

So much potential for drastic division realignment and playoff format, instead we just get mini tweak to worst division and playoff structure of the major leagues.

[DrJones]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

Good news: NHL already knows what is happening realignment wise with Seattle entering.
Bad news: Sounds like it's just Arizona switching divisions.

So much potential for drastic division realignment and playoff format, instead we just get mini tweak to worst division and playoff structure of the major leagues.

The worst, most nonsensical playoff format in North American sports is the NBA by far.

1. Although there are still 3 divisions per conference, divisions mean absolutely nothing. Teams are seeded within the conference by overall record. The only time it comes into play is if a division winner and non-division winner finish with the same record (the division winner wins the tiebreaker). In theory, a team could win its division and miss the playoffs!

Teams play teams within their own division 4 times (16 games), teams from other divisions within their conference 3 or 4 times (6 teams x4, 4 teams x3 for 36 games), teams from the other conference twice (30 games). It's a 99% conference format in which divisions remain for inexplicable reasons.

2. There has been a gross power imbalance between the two conferences for 20 years (the only league that's worse is the CFL, and at least they have the freaking crossover).

3. 1st-round playoff games often feature grotesque mismatches, made worse by the an unnecessary switch from best-of-5 to best-of-7 (which was announced midway through the 2002/03 season).

4. There's often an interminable 2 or 3 days off between games in a playoff series for TV purposes, which might make sense if the NBA employed a 1-vs-16 format.

I'm hoping against hope that the LeBron Lakers finish 9th in the West with a better record than 2 or 3 Eastern teams: that's the only thing that might lead to reform.

[Majingir]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

NBA's issue is with conference imbalance. Division winner means nothing, but in NHL, winning division helps for just 1 round.

In NBA's format, you're still projected to be getting the top 4 teams per conference in the 2nd round.

In NHL, you basically have a top 3 team in the conference guaranteed to be eliminated round 1. And 2 of top 3 seeds guaranteed to be eliminated in first 2 rounds. That's what happened last year. Leafs finished 3 seed, their reward... Road team VS 2 seed in 1st round. Tampa finished 1 seed, their reward... Playing a top 3 seed in 2nd round.

[DrJones]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

NBA's issue is with conference imbalance. Division winner means nothing, but in NHL, winning division helps for just 1 round.

In NBA's format, you're still projected to be getting the top 4 teams per conference in the 2nd round.

In NHL, you basically have a top 3 team in the conference guaranteed to be eliminated round 1. And 2 of top 3 seeds guaranteed to be eliminated in first 2 rounds. That's what happened last year. Leafs finished 3 seed, their reward... Road team VS 2 seed in 1st round. Tampa finished 1 seed, their reward... Playing a top 3 seed in 2nd round.

If you want a strictly conference-based format, that's fine by me. But then scrap divisions altogether and balance the schedules as much as possible:

Each team plays the teams in its own conference 3 or 4 times (10 teams x3, 5 teams x4, the 5 teams you play the extra game against rotate each season in a 3-season cycle) in addition to playing the other conference twice per team. 82 games. Then seed 1-8 per conference. Done.

What I don't want to see is an unbalanced, division-heavy schedule, followed by a conference playoff format. Divisions should mean a lot, as they do in MLB and the NFL, or not exist at all.

[Majingir]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

Tuesday is the day. Question isn't whether Seattle gets a team, it's simply just if they start in 2020-21 season or 21-22 season.

Given we might have a lockout, wouldn't be surprised if it's 21-22. Would be bad look having a team entering the league having to wait half a season to actually play.

[SPTO]

Re: NHL to Seattle?

The bigger news now is if Arizona can get that new money that some are speculating is there. If the owners there can't get new investors than the Coyotes are almost assuredly moving to Houston.