blitzkriegs said:
It's NFL style.
Each team In Division 8 times
Atlantic vs. Atlantic Division teams, etc...
Other teams in Conference 4 times
Atlantic vs. Northeast, Atlantic vs. South
Teams from one Division of the Other Conference 2 times.
Atlantic vs. West playing each team in west 2 times. So, the teams in the Atlantic would not play teams in the central until the next season. Assuming this goes as planned, it would be on a rolling basis. This year: Atlantic vs. West, Next year: Atlantic vs. Central, etc...
Reduces travel time/cost to go to the same location twice then all over the map on east/west coast trips.
I hate the unbalanced scedule and not seeing every team every year.
The NFL has to have a schedule like that - obviously every team can't play every other in a 16 game schedule. The NHL doesn't.
Look at the NBA. It has the same scheduling problem (30 teams, 2 conferences, 3 divs/conf, 82 games) but every team plays every other team at least twice a year (home & away). Imaging the outcry in the NBA if fans in one city were told, sorry, but you can't see Shaq or LeBron this year.
The NBA schedule has:
In Division: 4 games (2 home / 2 away) x 4 teams = 16 games
In Conference: 3 or 4 games (2/2, 2/1, or 1/2) x 10 teams = 36 games
Other Division: 2 games (1/1) x 15 teams = 30 games.
Imagine the outcry when half the NHL fans find out they will only see Crosby (if he indeed is the Next One) once every three years.
Even if you want more inter division games than the NBA, there are still better options than the proposed NHL one which still allow for playing every team home & away - 6 games in division (24), 2 or 3 in conference (28), 2 out of conference (30).
IMHO, any of these would be better than the path the NHL seems to have chosen.