Confirmed with Link: New Realignment Plan

[Bill Peckerskull]

New realignment plan confirmed today...

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/8...s-playoff-wild-cards-drops-league-4-divisions

Realignment would mean 4 divisions

By Pierre LeBrun | ESPN.com
Updated: February 26, 2013, 1:49 PM ET



The NHL is proposing a new realignment plan which would feature playoff wild-card spots plus see the league go from six divisions to four.

The plan was detailed in an NHL memo sent to all 30 clubs Tuesday, which a team source leaked to ESPN.com

The Pacific Division would feature Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose and Vancouver.

The Mid-West: Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis and Winnipeg.

The Central: Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto.

The Atlantic: Carolina, Columbus, New Jersey, N.Y. Islanders, N.Y. Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington.

Click to read more...

 

[Freudian]

We could probably have a separate re-alignment topic.

I like games in the central time zone more than games in the pacific time zone, so I prefer this version compared to playing with Kings, Ducks, Sharks, Canucks.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

I'd much rather be in that division than the Pacific. Start times being the main reason for me.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

So we'd only face the teams in all the other divisions twice? Like I said in the O'Reilly thread, I wonder if that opens up new possibilities of trading him since we wouldn't face him that much either way.

 

[Bender]

I'd much rather be in that division than the Pacific. Start times being the main reason for me.

Same here.

OMG - I just clued in....this means SO MUCH LESS JOHN GARRETT!!!!!

 

[S E P H]

I don't understand the wild-card playoff thing, sounds kind of stupid as well, and I don't think hockey needs to be like the other stupid sports that have wildcards and bye weeks.

Wildcard - All teams make the playoffs
So teams finish the season this way:
1. Chicago
2. Colorado
3. Dallas
4. Minnesota
5. Nashville
6. St. Louis
7. Winnipeg

That means,

Chicago plays St. Louis
Colorado plays Nasvhille
Dallas plays Minnesota

????

 

[Freudian]

Since Avs don't have natural rivals, I think we might as well build rivalries with Stars and Blues compared to Oilers and Canucks.

 

[RockLobster]

I don't understand the wild-card playoff thing, sounds kind of stupid as well, and I don't think hockey needs to be like the other stupid sports that have wildcards and bye weeks.

Wildcard - All teams make the playoffs
So teams finish the season this way:
1. Chicago
2. Colorado
3. Dallas
4. Minnesota
5. Nashville
6. St. Louis
7. Winnipeg

That means,

Chicago plays St. Louis
Colorado plays Nasvhille
Dallas plays Minnesota

????

That's how I read it.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

I don't understand what happens after the initial round of playoffs...

Will it always come down to East Conf vs West Conf?

I was looking forward to 4 divisions, and the Cup could be between any 2 divisions.

div 1 vs 2
div 1 vs 3
div 1 vs 4
div 2 vs 3
div 2 vs 4
div 3 vs 4

 

[The Shermanator]

I don't think they should mess with playoffs. I think it should still be a 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, 4v5

 

[bohlmeister]

So we'd only face the teams in all the other divisions twice? Like I said in the O'Reilly thread, I wonder if that opens up new possibilities of trading him since we wouldn't face him that much either way.

It may take Winnipeg off the table.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

link to TSN story...

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=416887

The playoff format calls for the top three teams in each division to earn post-season berths. The remaining four spots would go to wild-card teams, the top two records remaining in each conference. That means there's a possibility five teams make it from one division and only three from another.

It would be divisional playoffs, not conference playoffs, so 1 vs. 4, 2 vs 3 in the first round. The two fourth seeds would be made up of the wild-card teams. The top division winner based on regular-season points in the standings would face off against the lower-ranked wild-card team. The other division winner would play the higher-ranked wild-card.

First-round winners then meet in second round in the division championship; Third round sees Pacific winner vs. Mid-West winner in Western Conference finals; Central winner versus Atlantic winner in Eastern Conference finals; Eastern and Western Conference champions meet in Stanley Cup finals.

The regular season schedule would see teams play every team in the other conference home and away.

 

[Foppa2118]

Why would Carolina and Columbus be in the Atlantic, and Boston and Buffalo in the Central?

Also, can't they just go back to having cool names like the Adams, or Norris, or Campbell for the divisions, instead of this borring mid west and central division crap. There's plenty of pillars of hockey history with cool names to choose from.

 

[Appleanche]

I'd be excited about this, it's a lot better than last year. Games would start an hour earlier vs a lot of games starting an hour later. As an east coast fan, I'm really happy about that.. 10:30pm games are the suck.

Plus I think we could have better rivals with the central teams vs the California teams with all their natural rivals.

 

[Pokecheque]

So long as we're not thrown in with all those California teams, I'm good.

 

[S E P H]

That's how I read it.

So,

1st round: divisional 1v4 / 2v3 (lets say seeds 1 & 2 won)
2nd round: divisional 1 v 2 (lets say seed 1 won)
3rd round: Conference winner of pacific v 1
4th round: Cup Finals

I don't think they should mess with playoffs. I think it should still be a 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, 4v5

I agree, you don't need to change the format. I would just add a special feature

West
1. Most points of the two divisions
2. Leader of the other division
3-8 stays the same

The feature I liked was when getting to the 3rd round with 4 remaining teams, they reseed the teams by points and not by geography.

Example four remaining teams during a playoff

West Conference
San Jose: 109 points
Nashville: 98 points

East Conference
New York Rangers: 103 points
Tampa Bay: 96 points

San Jose would play Tampa Bay
New York Rangers would play Nashville

Giving a chance between Sharks and Predators in the Cup Finals.

 

[klozge]

I love it. I even love the wildcard idea because the way I understand it it'll give us a reason to care about the Oilers, Nucks, Sharks & co conference. The old format was so boring, it's time to make divisons (or conferences) interesting again.

 

[S E P H]

link to TSN story...

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=416887

So the 4th place team would be classified as the "wildcard"? Or is 4th going to do battle with 5th place and winner plays against 1st place?

 

[Foppa2118]

So the 4th place team would be classified as the "wildcard"? Or is 4th going to do battle with 5th place and winner plays against 1st place?

The wildcard teams wouldn't pertain to the divisions

The top three in each division lock up a playoff spot. Then the two teams with the best record of the remaining teams in each conference get the wildcard spots.

The two wildcard spots could be from the same division, and the team with the best record in the conference will play the wildcard with the worst.

Doesn't seem very fair for the east though, since each division has one more team to battle with for the playoffs. Seems very likely to be a plan with two expansion teams involved.

 

[Unaffiliated]

I think wild card spots would be pretty freakin hype

 

[S E P H]

The wildcard teams wouldn't pertain to the divisions

The top three in each division lock up a playoff spot. Then the two teams with the best record of the remaining teams in each conference get the wildcard spots.

The two wildcard spots could be from the same division, and the team with the best record in the conference will play the wildcard with the worst.

Doesn't seem very fair for the east though, since each division has one more team to battle with for the playoffs. Seems very likely to be a plan with two expansion teams involved.

Thank you. I do admit that is pretty effin sick idea because it eliminates the MLB situation that good teams in a stronger division can still make the playoffs.

Effin how stupid is the MLB for not making this idea, hahahaha.

So that means if we win our division and Vancouver was 5th in their division because it is stronger we have a chance to play them?

 

[CB Joe]

I'm excited about early start times. I really like the new realignment plan.

 

[R S]

From an Avs perspective I love the new breakdown.

 

[Foppa2118]

It may take Winnipeg off the table.

I hope so. That's my least favorite in terms of options, unless their 1st is involved with something good.

 

[macPSU]

So the 4th place team would be classified as the "wildcard"? Or is 4th going to do battle with 5th place and winner plays against 1st place?

From the ESPN and TSN articles, it sounds like each division won't necessarily always have a "4th place" team make the playoffs, as one division could theoretically have 5 teams in and the other may only have their guaranteed 3 teams. If one division has 5 teams make it in, teams 4 and 5 are the wild cards. The division winner with the better record would play the worse of the two wild cards while the other division's winner would play the other wild card in the first round. Teams 2 and 3 would play each other as normal.

I think the new format will at least be a little interesting, and being on the east coast I'll love the new start times.