Canada is doing things very regionally in terms of their present Covid approach. Some cities within provinces have more restrictions than other cities, all depending on how things are going. So I don't know how broadly one could translate "uncertainty" at the present time about approvals for NHL teams. Just being uncertain doesn't mean there is necessarily any impediment. It just means they actually have to do some work to get the necessary approvals, as opposed to... just starting to play games like they might be able to in some US cities?
Although big cities in general are frequently in the most trouble. Toronto, Montreal, cities in Alberta might have the most restrictions so far? But that doesn't mean teams couldn't play out of other buildings in municipalities that aren't as heavily restricted, maybe? If they aren't putting fans in the seats right away anyway, though, I don't know how much it really matters.
Whatever they do in terms of alignment, though, I'm kind of liking the better-geography of our current division. It might have been high time for a realignment on better geographical basis anyway? Well, we should have St.Louis, though. But Carolina, STL, Nashville, Dallas, Florida, Tampa, Columbus seems to me like it would be a sensible starting point moving forward. After the border-crossing issue goes away, it would be a little TBD about how you do some of the other divisions and which other team falls to our group.
