If the league has 32 teams in 2010.... (continuation of Expansion Debate)

[hockydude5000]

Would this make a good conference layout?

Eastern Conference:

Northeast:
Boston
Toronto
Ottawa
Montreal

Mid-East:
NY Rangers
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Columbus

Seaboard:
Washington
New Jersey
NY Islanders
Buffalo

Southeast:
Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
Florida

Western Conference:

Midwest:
Detroit
Chicago
St. Louis
Kansas City

Northwest:
Winnipeg
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver

Central:
Nashville
Dallas
Minnesota
Colorado

Pacific:
Los Angeles
Anaheim
Phoenix
San Jose

Click to read more...

 

[GWhale*]

"Seaboard"?

 

[Namso]

what is buffalo doing in seaboard?

 

[Unholy Diver]

I would switch Buffalo with the Rangers and Winnipeg with the Avs

 

[MountainHawk]

I think you have to find a way to keep PHI, NYR, NYI, and NJD together.

 

[Unholy Diver]

I think you have to find a way to keep PHI, NYR, NYI, and NJD together.

yeah throw philly and nyr in the seaboard and move buffalo and the caps with the pens and cbj

 

[Firefighter Havok]

yeah throw philly and nyr in the seaboard and move buffalo and the caps with the pens and cbj

Oh man that division would suck...

 

[hockydude5000]

I think you have to find a way to keep PHI, NYR, NYI, and NJD together.

If 3 out of four teams are in the New York area, it would be too congested in one little area. Plus, if the Rangers, Devils, Islanders, and Flyers stayed together, the Penguins wouldn't fit in. So, I made a Compromise. With my plan, it keeps the Rangers, Flyers, and Penguins together in the Mid-East division, and the Devils and the Islanders together in the Seaboard. Plus, with Buffalo in the Seaboard division, it creates a state rivalry w/ the Islanders and a crossborder rivalry with New Jersey.

 

[garry1221]

Would this make a good conference layout?

Eastern Conference:

Northeast:
Boston
Toronto
Ottawa
Montreal

Mid-East:
NY Rangers
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Columbus

Seaboard:
Washington
New Jersey
NY Islanders
Buffalo

Southeast:
Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
Florida

Western Conference:

Midwest:
Detroit
Chicago
St. Louis
Kansas City

Northwest:
Winnipeg
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver

Central:
Nashville
Dallas
Minnesota
Colorado

Pacific:
Los Angeles
Anaheim
Phoenix
San Jose

if kc and winnipeg werew the two franchises added, while i agree with most of your divisions, i'd change it up a little bit.

WEST CONFERENCE -
NorthWest:
Calgary
Edmonton
Vancouver
Winnipeg

geographically this div. has to be, set up perfectly with old rivalries, plus new that could really blossom.

SouthWest:
Anaheim
Los Angeles
Phoenix
San Jose

see above, another must if expansion were to occur again

Central:
Colorado
Dallas
Kansas City
St. Louis

here's where it gets tricky. chose st louis over minnesota because of the proximity to KC more than anything. keeps with how the divisions have been setting up thus far.

MidWest:
Chicago
Columbus
Detroit
Minnesota

see above. only difference between choosing minnesota over st louis was if i chose north or south, considering the location of the other 3 teams i chose to go north.

EAST CONFERENCE -
NorthEast:
Buffalo
Montreal
Ottawa
Toronto

must have in terms of location. really boston/buffalo could be switched, and my thought process going in would still pretty well stay in tact

New England:
Boston
NJ
NYI
NYR

see above, when i chose the name New England for the div. i immediately thought of boston, which is why i chose them over buffalo originally.

Atlantic:
Carolina
Philladelphia
Pittsburgh
Washington

location location location. enough said.

SouthEast:
Atlanta
Florida
Nashville
Tampa Bay

while nashville seems far from florida, on the map it's relatively the same distance as raleigh from atlanta, that's the only major reason i chose nashville to be moved rather than columbus.

 

[weaponomega]

if kc and winnipeg werew the two franchises added, while i agree with most of your divisions, i'd change it up a little bit.

WEST CONFERENCE -
NorthWest:
Calgary
Edmonton
Vancouver
Winnipeg

geographically this div. has to be, set up perfectly with old rivalries, plus new that could really blossom.

SouthWest:
Anaheim
Los Angeles
Phoenix
San Jose

see above, another must if expansion were to occur again

Central:
Colorado
Dallas
Kansas City
St. Louis

here's where it gets tricky. chose st louis over minnesota because of the proximity to KC more than anything. keeps with how the divisions have been setting up thus far.

MidWest:
Chicago
Columbus
Detroit
Minnesota

see above. only difference between choosing minnesota over st louis was if i chose north or south, considering the location of the other 3 teams i chose to go north.

EAST CONFERENCE -
NorthEast:
Buffalo
Montreal
Ottawa
Toronto

must have in terms of location. really boston/buffalo could be switched, and my thought process going in would still pretty well stay in tact

New England:
Boston
NJ
NYI
NYR

see above, when i chose the name New England for the div. i immediately thought of boston, which is why i chose them over buffalo originally.

Atlantic:
Carolina
Philladelphia
Pittsburgh
Washington

location location location. enough said.

SouthEast:
Atlanta
Florida
Nashville
Tampa Bay

while nashville seems far from florida, on the map it's relatively the same distance as raleigh from atlanta, that's the only major reason i chose nashville to be moved rather than columbus.

I would switch Boston with Buffalo. Buffalo is more a fit with NYR, NYI, and NJ. You could basically call it the New York division.

Boston needs to be in a division with other original 6 rivals Montreal and Toronto.

 

[MountainHawk]

The whole point is to foster geographic rivalries. If you aren't going to have BUF, OTT, MTL, TOR and PHI, NJD, NYR, NYI as two divisions in the East, then just forget the whole divisional idea, lineup the standings 1-16 in each conference, and play a balanced schedule. 4 x 15 in conference, 2x16 out of conference.

 

[EchoesoftheEighties]

The West has 2 more teams than the East

 

[dafoomie]

I like how you have the Northeast and the Southeast. The mid-east and "seaboard" (whats wrong with Atlantic?) could be shuffled around.

I don't see how people keep putting Boston with the New York teams, it doesn't work and it never will. They belong with Montreal and Toronto at least. The way the OP has it is dead on.

The last thing the NHL needs is more teams, though. If anything, the league needs less teams. They'd be better off if 2 teams went away, let alone adding 2 teams.

 

[GKJ]

Would this make a good conference layout?

Eastern Conference:

Northeast:
Boston
Toronto
Ottawa
Montreal

Mid-East:
NY Rangers
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Columbus

Seaboard:
Washington
New Jersey
NY Islanders
Buffalo

Southeast:
Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
Florida

Western Conference:

Midwest:
Detroit
Chicago
St. Louis
Kansas City

Northwest:
Winnipeg
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver

Central:
Nashville
Dallas
Minnesota
Colorado

Pacific:
Los Angeles
Anaheim
Phoenix
San Jose

Why are the Rangers and Flyers in a different division than the Devils and Islanders?

 

[Danny__K]

Winnipeg won't be getting a team anytime soon.

 

[hockydude5000]

Why are the Rangers and Flyers in a different division than the Devils and Islanders?

See my above comment #7.

 

[dafoomie]

See my above comment #7.

I would change your East teams like this:

Atlantic:
NY Rangers
Philadelphia
NY Islanders
NJ Devils

Mid-East:
Washington
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Columbus

I think everybodys happy in the East except Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh might move, anyway.

 

[Lobstertainment]

Eastern Conference:

Northeast:
BUffalo
Toronto
Ottawa
Montreal

Mid-East:
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Columbus
Washington

Seaboard:
New York Rangers
New Jersey
NY Islanders
Boston

Southeast:
Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
Florida

Western Conference:

Midwest:
Detroit
Chicago
St. Louis
Kansas City

Northwest:
Winnipeg
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver

Central:
Nashville
Dallas
Minnesota
Colorado

Pacific:
Los Angeles
Anaheim
Phoenix
San Jose

West looks allright, maybe swap Winny and Minny

I would put Buffalo in the North East with Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Boston would be in the Seaboard with the Rangers, Islanders and Devils(rivalry central)

Philly, Pittsburgh, Washington and Columbus in the Mid-East

and finnaly everyone's favorite 4 southern east teams rounds out the south east.

 

[MountainHawk]

Why does everyone keep taking the Flyers out of a division with the Rangers, Devils, and Islanders. It's unrealistic. Those 4 teams are all within 2 hours drive of each other, and have been playing against each other for years and years.

 

[NYR469]

*** would you add 2 more teams?? the league needs to get rid of 6 teams, not add more

 

[Lobstertainment]

Why does everyone keep taking the Flyers out of a division with the Rangers, Devils, and Islanders. It's unrealistic. Those 4 teams are all within 2 hours drive of each other, and have been playing against each other for years and years.

Because we seem to be limited to 4 teams per division, so with the Devils, Rangers, and Islanders being 3, it comes down to managing the other teams to fit.

Philly could very well be in this "seaboard" division, but the reality is that if you place them in that division then one of Buffalo or Boston have to be placed in the "Mid East"

and that division looks better travel wise and rivalry wise with Philly instead of the Sabres or Bruins. Considering Pittsburgh is there you almost HAVE to have Philly in that Division, besides it's not like in this hypothetical setting that Philly wouldn't play those seaboard teams.

 

[GKJ]

See my above comment #7.

The Penguins wouldn't have to fit in, before 1998 the Flyers and Rangers were in a different division than the Penguins.


I would just keep 3 divisions. 4 divisions is ok in the NFL because its a different game and they only play 16 games.


In keeping with you're example I'll use KC and Winnipeg.

Northeast:
Buffalo
Boston
Montreal
Toronto
Ottawa

Atlantic:
Philadelphia
NY Rangers
NY Isles
New Jersey
Pittsburgh
Columbus

Southeast:
Washington
Atlanta
Florida
Carolina
Tampa Bay

Northwest:
Vancouver
Minnesota
Colorado
Calgary
Edmonton
Winnipeg

Central:
Detroit
Nashville
St. Louis
Chicago
Kansas City

Pacific:
Los Angeles
Anaheim
Dallas
San Jose
Phoenix

If you go back to the old way you do the schedule (where teams in the east actually play teams in the west), and everyone played everyone at least once, that finish last each season in the northwest and atlantc would play extra games to make up for the fact that there are 6 teams in the division. Much like when the NFL had only 28 teams and the teams that finished last in the NFC East and Central and AFC West and Central would play each other twice a season.


Each team usually goes out to the other conference at least 3 times a season, so scheduling it should be a huge problem

 

[Mr BLUEandWHITE]

If the league expands anymore look forward to more trapping and to counter the trap more penalties then there already is.......expansion is not the answer its contraction

 

[dafoomie]

You can't take Boston away from Toronto and Montreal. Sorry, not even for Buffalo. Buffalo doesn't have the clout of those 3 teams, and those 3 times would stay together at any cost, with Ottawa too. Bruins-Canadiens is the biggest historic rivalry in hockey.

You can't take Philly away from the Devils, Rangers, and Isles. That just doesn't make sense.

Its kind of like playing Weakest Link or Survivor with the Northeast and Atlantic divisions, you'd eventually get Buffalo and Pittsburgh voted off the island. Combine them with Washington, who doesn't want to be in the Southeast anyway (making that division nice and neat), and Columbus, who is coming over from the West, and theres your 4th division.

There will never be expansion again in the NHL, so theres no reason to worry about it anyway.

 

[Sens Rule]

If the league expands anymore look forward to more trapping and to counter the trap more penalties then there already is.......expansion is not the answer its contraction

Expanding the NHL by 45 players will not dilute the talent pool very much. The talent was far, far lower in the 70's and 80's than it is now and there wasn't very much trapping happening.