Possible Division Realignment?

[fireantz]

I'd much prefer a north - south split.

Northwest (Smythe) - SEA, VAN, EDM, CGY, WIN, MIN, CHI, STL
Southwest (Bettman)- SJ, LA, ANA, VEG, SLC, COL, DAL, NSH

For road games:
Seattle-Vancouver, Edmonton - Calgary, Winnipeg - Minnesota, St. Louis - Chicago are easy scheduling pairs. As is the California teams, Vegas, SLC and Denver.

Nashville is the real outlier, would be great if they could swap conferences for Detroit and Nashville but the Red Wings would never go for it.

Three time zones in each division! No way

 

[Fourier]

The second best thing to happen to the Oilers during the DoD was getting out of Minnesotas division. I don’t want to see that team more.

I agree. The Central division is generally my least favourite to watch.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

The second best thing to happen to the Oilers during the DoD was getting out of Minnesotas division. I don’t want to see that team more.

Fair, but this team is past that, I would rather play the Wild a bunch, than have 8:30 weekday starts at home against the Ducks or Kings.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Fair, but this team is past that, I would rather play the Wild a bunch, than have 8:30 weekday starts at home against the Ducks or Kings.

I’d take that over being in a division with the Stars, Avs, and Jets.

 

[bone]

Though this deserved its own thread. Oilers and Flames moving to Central Division and Avs move to Pacific Division.. Yay or nay??

This is so f***ing stupid if true. Salt Lake City is actually further away from all the teams in the Pacific, but the Northwest teams than Phoenix was.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I’d take that over being in a division with the Stars, Avs, and Jets.

Well the Avs would move West, so it's fine, the rest don't bug me. The Jets are like the score and pray Nucks, except without the Sedins or enough talent. And Dallas is Dallas, this team can both lose badly to them and stomp them. It would be a good rivalry imo.

f*** the 8 and 8:30 starts in Edmonton to f***ing hell.

This is so f***ing stupid if true. Salt Lake City is actually further away from all the teams in the Pacific, but the Northwest teams than Phoenix was.

Yeah, so thinking about it, It's more about a "South West-Pacific" division. Because all those teams are basically in the US South West and the Nucks are in the Pacific time zone, seems fine to me. Better than keeping the Yotes in their community rink.

 

[bone]

Being in the same division as a team in the American South (Nashville) would be wild.

Yeah, this would be so stupid, Edmonton and Calgary lose two teams within an 90 minute flight and gain 3 teams that are longer than 3 hours of flight.

Any alignment that doesn't have Edmonton and Calgary with Vancouver and Seattle is absolutely bullshit. I'd be willing to entertain a northern alignment that swapped out the California teams and Vegas for Winnipeg, Minnesota and two other teams in the Central though.

 

[bone]

This is a good opportunity the bring up the 8 division alignment I've been pining for.

8 divisions with 4 teams each, with each conference having 4 divisions.

Teams play within their division 6 times = 18 games
Teams play one rival division 4 times = 16 games
Teams play every other team twice= 48 games
________
Total of 82 games

To determine which are the rival divisions in any given season, the league takes the total points earned in the prior season for each division and assigns the division with the most cumulative points within a conference to play whichever division in the conference had the least points as its rival division. The purpose of this is to attempt to balance the schedule somewhat by giving teams with the hardest schedule some extra games vs. the weaker teams and the teams with the easier schedules a few extra games vs tougher opposition.

Playoffs are set by taking the first place team from every division, plus the next four best teams in the Conference. However, seeding for the 8 teams will be determined based on standings (i.e Division winners don't automatically get a top 4 spot/home ice).

Thoughts?

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Well the Avs would move West, so it's fine, the rest don't bug me. The Jets are like the score and pray Nucks, except without the Sedins or enough talent. And Dallas is Dallas, this team can both lose badly to them and stomp them. It would be a good rivalry imo.

f*** the 8 and 8:30 starts in Edmonton to f***ing hell.


Yeah, so thinking about it, It's more about a "South West-Pacific" division. Because all those teams are basically in the US South West and the Nucks are in the Pacific time zone, seems fine to me. Better than keeping the Yotes in their community rink.

You are correct about Colorado. Still a lot of travel for the team.

 

[bone]

Further to my 8 division format, this would be my first stab at Divisions.

Western Conference
Div 1 - VAN/SEA/EDM/CGY
Div 2 - LA/ANA/SJ/VGK
Div 3 - SLC/COL/DAL/STL
Div 4 - WPG/MIN/CHI/DET

Eastern Conference
Div 1 - TOR/OTT/MTL/BUF
Div 2 - BOS/NJ/NYI/NYR
Div 3 - CBS/PHI/PITT/WSH
Div 4 - NASH/CAR/TB/FLA

If Detroit throws a hissy fit again about going into the West again, add Nashville to West Div 3, and move STL to Div 4 and put DET into East Div 3 moving Washington into Div 4.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

You are correct about Colorado. Still a lot of travel for the team.

I mean it all is right? That's the nature of team in Edmonton, might just be longer-ish road trips that swing, Chicago through the division finishing in Calgary, might make things interesting, gauntlet road trips

 

[Da McBomb]

I kinda like having Vegas and the Cali teams in our division though because I enjoy those Vegas/Cali trips with the boys when the Oilers make their rounds down there. Without them in our division, it would be less opportunities to do that. Hate Vegas or not, it's great having them in our division because Vegas is such a hot tourist spot for Edmontonions.

 

[bone]

I kinda like having Vegas and the Cali teams in our division though because I enjoy those Vegas/Cali trips with the boys when the Oilers make their rounds down there. Without them in our division, it would be less opportunities to do that. Hate Vegas or not, it's great having them in our division because Vegas is such a hot tourist spot for Edmontonions.

For sure. I suspect the team doesn't mind those trips either and the league seems to have been scheduling a day off or two at least once a year when they swing through California and/or Vegas, so they get a nice little warm weather break even if it's only a day or two.

I also think the fact that their AHL team is in California is a factor here as well. If suddenly our divisional rivals were middle america, having your farm team in California might make less sense (other than the fact that it's probably a better attraction for AHL vets to spend their time in California).

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Don't see the logic to this.


SLC is on the same longitude as Phoenix, but I'd argue Phoenix feels more pacific-y, as it's a far bit closer to the coast. So why swap the team to the Pacific after the move, especially when you didn't do that off the hop back with the new alignments?


This would compact the Pacific a bit**, but it would make the Central hell from a travel perspective.

*** And not by a lot. For example, SEA and VAN actually travel gain travel miles with this swap. DEN would be about even, it's really only the Cali teams + LV and SLC that benefit.)

The rest of the Central would also hate this move. So I don't see how this would succeed when at least half of the Western Conference would vote against it.

 

[Davo Ikinzom]

I wouldn't care one way or the other. Pretty sick of playing these same Cali teams all the time anyways.

It would be pretty goofy seeing a team that's literally a central state be in the Pacific division when we're closer to the west coast but that's par for the course with the NHL.

 

[SK13]

I don't know overall but I can tell you I'm sick of looking at Vancouver and LA.

 

[bellagiobob]

Yeah, this would be so stupid, Edmonton and Calgary lose two teams within an 90 minute flight and gain 3 teams that are longer than 3 hours of flight.

Any alignment that doesn't have Edmonton and Calgary with Vancouver and Seattle is absolutely bullshit. I'd be willing to entertain a northern alignment that swapped out the California teams and Vegas for Winnipeg, Minnesota and two other teams in the Central though.

No chance the league would ever be so stupid to do this. I mean, that’s like saying they might make a team play 5 games in 7 days in the last week of the season, never would happen, league isn’t that dumb.

 

[bone]

I wouldn't care one way or the other. Pretty sick of playing these same Cali teams all the time anyways.

It would be pretty goofy seeing a team that's literally a central state be in the Pacific division when we're closer to the west coast but that's par for the course with the NHL.

With how the league is structured right now divisions really don't mean a lot in terms of schedule as 77 of 82 games for every team in the Conference is exactly the same (2 games vs. all teams in opposite conference, 3 games vs. 10 of the 15 teams in your conference and 4 games vs 5 teams in your division).

No chance the league would ever be so stupid to do this. I mean, that’s like saying they might make a team play 5 games in 7 days in the last week of the season, never would happen, league isn’t that dumb.

I especially love the extra "f*** you" they throw into it by making the last two games on the road knowing the team was likely to start at home for the playoffs based off expectations going into the season. At minimum if we had to cram all these games in at the end, it would have been better to have the last few games of them be at home in their own beds.

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

I’d rather keep the divisions the same. There are four teams here within an hour flight and the other 4 are in California or Vegas

 

[La Bamba]

As much as it'd be nice to freshen the divisions up, it doesn't really make sense geographically

 

[Stoneman89]

One less team in a sunny, warm place all year round is probably good for the oilers in terms of attracting players.

Who doesn't want to play in Mullet Arena for the next decade?

 

[Messrules11]

Geez, I already see enough of Minnesota and Nashville, couldn’t stomach any more.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

Further to my 8 division format, this would be my first stab at Divisions.

Western Conference
Div 1 - VAN/SEA/EDM/CGY
Div 2 - LA/ANA/SJ/VGK
Div 3 - SLC/COL/DAL/STL
Div 4 - WPG/MIN/CHI/DET

Eastern Conference
Div 1 - TOR/OTT/MTL/BUF
Div 2 - BOS/NJ/NYI/NYR
Div 3 - CBS/PHI/PITT/WSH
Div 4 - NASH/CAR/TB/FLA

If Detroit throws a hissy fit again about going into the West again, add Nashville to West Div 3, and move STL to Div 4 and put DET into East Div 3 moving Washington into Div 4.

I like what you did here. I'd keep DET in the East Div 3 and move Columbus to Div 4 West to accomodate DET. Nashville is perfect where you put it.

 

[rboomercat90]

I don’t think this realignment talk has any legs but if it does it’ll be nice to not have to deal with California officiating as much, especially in the first couple rounds of the playoffs.

 

[VainGretzky]

NHL should go to 8 divisions
north pacific central east
Oilers Kings AVS Hawks
Flames Ducks Stars Wild
Canucks Skarks Mormons Blues
Kraken Knights Jets Preds

divisions teams play each other 4 times other divisions 3 times, and the East conference
2 times 80 games alternate extra 2 games within the division division winners automatic spot 4 wildcard spots 1st plays 8th so forth