The realignment cometh

[daflyboys]

It would make no sense for Winnipeg to be in the Central before Phoenix. Move Winnipeg to the Pacific and, hell, move Phoenix to Minnesota!

[crayzman]

The issue I see is look at how weak the Central division would be. Chicago would never miss the playoffs again and none of the other teams in it have any consistency year after year. Most years 5th in the Pacific would kill the 3rd in the Central, if not 2nd.

[Money99]

Sounds like the NHL is actually considering uneven conference numbers - 14 in one, 16 in the other.

[slickdtc]

Quote: Originally Posted by crayzman

The issue I see is look at how weak the Central division would be. Chicago would never miss the playoffs again and none of the other teams in it have any consistency year after year. Most years 5th in the Pacific would kill the 3rd in the Central, if not 2nd.

Who cares? There will still be Conference standings.

Usually I'd be completely against a 14 team Conference and a 16 team Conference, but with the crazy Western travel, I think that's a good even-ing incentive.

[Money99]

Quote: Originally Posted by slickdtc

Who cares? There will still be Conference standings. Usually I'd be completely against a 14 team Conference and a 16 team Conference, but with the crazy Western travel, I think that's a good even-ing incentive.

I agree. I think it's a fair trade-off.
Also, I don't care if Chicago makes the playoffs every year. The league needs marquee teams in the postseason.

I used to hate MLB's complete setup because NYY and Bos almost always made the playoffs. But as a business, it's far better for the league if one of those teams is in it, compared to a small market team.
I'll always tune into a Redsox or Yankees playoff game whereas I could care less if it's an Angels-Rangers matchup.
I don't mean any offense to fans of those teams, but I've come to accept that I like watching glamor teams in all sports as opposed to teams with no big names or glitz to them.

Last years finals proved that fans in non-hockey areas will tune into watching a big hockey market.
A Coyotes-Panthers final would be TV death compared to a NYR-DET matchup.

[Money99]

Speculated realignment ala Puck Daddy:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puc...urn=nhl-wp8068

[Money99]

The only thing I don't like about the proposal is how they re-seed after the first round.
Screw that. That's one of the biggest issues for the Western teams.
Look at Vancouver's playoff run. First 2 series were in CST. I'm sure Vancouver would have loved to stay in their own time zone for the first 2 rounds (or MST at the very furthest).
That can play a huge role on fatigue and wear-and-tear as the playoffs progress.

Not only will full divisional play in the first 2 rounds help with travel, but it will also promote more divisional rivalries. There's a reason why fans in the old Norris hated the Leafs, North Stars, Blackhawks and Blues. It's because you usually bumped into everyone over a 3-4 year range.
The way it is now, the Wings have a bigger rivalry with teams outside their own division.

With more inter-division rivalries, the better chances are teams will sell out for those games.

To me, this is a no-brainer.

[mercalnd]

Quote: Originally Posted by slickdtc

Who cares? There will still be Conference standings.

Actually it's been said that in the 4 division format they were considering having 4 teams per division make the playoffs rather than the current 8 per conference regardless of division.