Assuming the NHL expands to 36 teams, what will schedule look like?

[PistolPete]

When is the last time you watched games from fifty years ago? This second comment is so out of touch with reality that I don't know where to begin.

This game has a large proportion of the best Canadian-born players in the world playing in it:



Yet Guy Lafleur and a few others aside, almost everyone has sub NHL standard skating. Very basic edgework. The puck skills are limited. Back then it was a wow moment when a guy roofed it on the backhand. There are AHL players today who are better than some of the players in this 1977 cup final.

The best talent related argument against expansion is not that the talent per team is worse than it used to be (it's better), the best argument is that we want to watch the top 20-30 most talented players in the world play when it really matters. We want to see them in big games, a thrill we only really got to see at the 4 Nations. Most of the best players are not in the Cup Finals are even deep in the playoffs. As we go beyond 32 teams you will see more and more of the best disappear before we get deep in the playoffs, and that's just less compelling to watch.

The lack of star power later in the PO occured even in the 80s with 21 teams. Unless you want a 4 team league where everyone makes the PO that is inevitable. Lemueux didn't make the playoffs until his 5th season- when only 5 teams missed the playoffs.

If you want the truly talented players, you'd have to shrink the league back to six teams at most. And even then, it's all relative. Some if the players who are superstars in a 32 team league would be rendered scrubs in a six team league.

The number of players who Crack a given milestone of 20, 30 goals etc stays fairly proportionate to the total number of players

 

[PistolPete]

More talent dilution = more goals.

After the WHA was absorbed, storing stayed the same for the first two sesson afterwards.

When the league went from 21 to 30, scoring trended downwards, not upwards

 

[Eternal Leaf]

That would be a horrible idea. The schedule would look like a mess.

 

[DEANYOUNGBLOOD17]

You think the regular season sucks, but you come up with a plan that kills rivalries and makes the regular season worse.

Travel is a non issue with today’s technology.

I came up with a scenario of total equality thru out the league.

Everybody plays everybody …. The best moves on!

You can fight for special treatment or D.E.I.

But what I proposed is the definition of equality and fairness!

Dropped mic!

 

[PistolPete]

That would be a horrible idea. The schedule would look like a mess.

Expanding to 36? Likely a done deal already

For sure the league wants to add Houston and Atlanta and get Phoenix back. Just a question of what city is going to be the 36th.

When expansion rumors start going around and Bettmsn is actually meeting potential owners, it's pretty much a guarantee.

That's why I posted the thread; what is the schedule and divisional alignment going to look like?

 

[jkrdevil]

After the WHA was absorbed, storing stayed the same for the first two sesson afterwards.

When the league went from 21 to 30, scoring trended downwards, not upwards

They league expanding to 21 to 30 team coincided with the influx of European players (particularly from iron curtain countries) coming into the league and higher level US players coming into the league. The league didn’t expand by enough. Also goal scoring ticked up the first few years of 90’s expansion (92/93 was the peak of goal scoring, and goals ticked up slightly during the late 90’s expansion from where it was in 97-98).

Also the WHA merger actually contracted the number of “Major league” teams and brought talent back into the league.

 

[PistolPete]

They league expanding to 21 to 30 team coincided with the influx of European players (particularly from iron curtain countries) coming into the league and higher level US players coming into the league. The league didn’t expand by enough. Also goal scoring ticked up the first few years of 90’s expansion (92/93 was the peak of goal scoring, and goals ticked up slightly during the late 90’s expansion from where it was in 97-98).

Also the WHA merger actually contracted the number of “Major league” teams and brought talent back into the league.

Not particularly.

A perusal of NHL rosters in '80 will reveal very few players from the WHA the season before, especially impact players

 

[DEANYOUNGBLOOD17]

Travel is a non issue with today’s technology.

I came up with a scenario of total equality thru out the league.

Everybody plays everybody …. The best moves on!

You can fight for special treatment or D.E.I.

But what I proposed is the definition of equality and fairness!
Was
Dropped mic!

Expand to 41 teams ….everyone plays every one home and away..

Total fairness / eliminate divisions 82 game schedule/ top 12 make …..the playoffs …..

13-20 play in no longer than 1 week- to make up the bottom 4 seeds…..

 

[Turin]

More talent dilution = more goals.

More goals =\= more entertainment.

 

[Turin]

36 teams is a farce and cheapens the integrity of the playoffs. You’re just injecting more randomness into an already random game. Teams are going to go their entire histories without winning.

 

[PistolPete]

36 teams is a farce and cheapens the integrity of the playoffs. You’re just injecting more randomness into an already random game. Teams are going to go their entire histories without winning.

During the Original Six Era, the NYR nor the Bruins won a Cup- in a six team league!

The Blackhawks won just 1.

Three teams account for 24 out of 25 Cups.

Regardless of how many teams there are, there are going to be teams who never win a chsmpionship- in any sports league

C

 

[PistolPete]

Expand to 41 teams ….everyone plays every one home and away..

Total fairness / eliminate divisions 82 game schedule/ top 12 make …..the playoffs …..

13-20 play in no longer than 1 week- to make up the bottom 4 seeds…..

If you want an 82 game schedule with 2 games against all opponents the league would need 42 teams

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

I wonder if it would make for more or less games. Because I miss it when the WCF happened right about now.

 

[coolboarder]

Anything past 32 teams league, we need a promotion/relegation system. Hockey deserves to have its top line-up every night. Maybe two promotion/relegation opportunities per year rather than just one per season to give a team a chance of compete for the Cup. So in other word, a team that started their season at the relegation get a chance to promote for a chance to make the playoffs A team that is on a top tier to start the season got relegated is having a harder road to the promotion. IT has to be creative and a fairer way to determine which team make the playoffs for final 16 during a long season. I won't be watching hockey anymore as it are too many teams and there is reason why many other leagues oversea has this type of system to prevent dilute of the talent pool and getting lost in the system. Imagine the top AHL team is the best 33rd team in the world if they entered into the NHL.

 

[DEANYOUNGBLOOD17]

Expand to 41 teams ….everyone plays every one home and away..

Total fairness / eliminate divisions 82 game schedule/ top 12 make …..the playoffs …..

13-20 play in no longer than 1 week- to make up the bottom 4 seeds…..

Set the price @ 3 billion to join the league….. don’t kid yourself … people will pay it …..if they know that there is a guarantee of no future expansion….

Just like

If you want an 82 game schedule with 2 games against all opponents the league would need 42 teams

41 go back to pre school and ask for a rebate.

Apparently the 1 st time didn’t take.

 

[PistolPete]

Set the price @ 3 billion to join the league….. don’t kid yourself … people will pay it …..if they know that there is a guarantee of no future expansion….

Just like

41 go back to pre school and ask for a rebate.

Apparently the 1 st time didn’t take

41 teams means 40 opponents

40 x 2 = 80

Teams don't play intrasquad games against themselves an have to count towards the standings

 

[Boyon90]

So I made a post about Saskatchewan not so long ago, add qc and there you have it 34

 

[thebeernerd]

I don't know how it would work out, but it's a guarantee we'd get 84, possibly 86 games out of it.

So I made a post about Saskatchewan not so long ago, add qc and there you have it 34

Saskatoon wouldn't have worked if they moved the Blues there in the early 80s and it sure as hell wouldn't work now. Your first two teams will surely be Atlanta and Houston, and QC and Phoenix (assuming they can get the owner of the Suns on board) will be the next two.

 

[Tawnos]

Personally, I want them to get rid of the 2 games against all opponents thing and I want the schedule to be more division heavy.

Ideas I'd be fine with
82 games, 4 divisions of 9
40 games vs division (5x vs each team)
24 games intraconference (3x against 6 teams, 2x against 3 teams)
18 games interconference (1x vs each team. Home against one division, road against the other)

Playoffs - Divisional based:
Wild card - 4v5 in a best of 3.
1st seed plays winner in best of 5.
2v3 play best of 7.

84 games, 6 divisions of 6
30 games vs division (6x vs each team)
36 games intraconference (3x vs each team)
18 games interconference (1x vs each team. Home against one division, road against the other) 18 teams

Playoffs - Conference based:
Wild card series 7v10, 8v9 in best of 3.
Top 2 divisional winners play winners of wild cards in best of 5.
No special seeding for 3rd best divisional winner. 3v6, 4v5 play best of 7.

 

[uncleben]

MLB is at 30, NBA is at 30, why is the NHL expanding to 36? What a bush league.

They will join the club too

NHL getting a head of the curve is actually a better strategy for them

 

[Golden_Jet]

There are top lines ans top pairings today that would have been AHL players 35 years ago, and especially 58 years ago.

Are they also playing with wooden sticks, and leather skates, and crap equipycompared to today.
Are the goalies going to g back on time and wearing horse hair pads, that way a ton when wet.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Expanding to 36? Likely a done deal already

For sure the league wants to add Houston and Atlanta and get Phoenix back. Just a question of what city is going to be the 36th.

When expansion rumors start going around and Bettmsn is actually meeting potential owners, it's pretty much a guarantee.

That's why I posted the thread; what is the schedule and divisional alignment going to look like?

They aren’t going straight to 36, if they go to 36. It will be gradual, and will need different schedules as teams are added.

 

[TheNewEra]

Expanding to 36? Likely a done deal already

For sure the league wants to add Houston and Atlanta and get Phoenix back. Just a question of what city is going to be the 36th.

When expansion rumors start going around and Bettmsn is actually meeting potential owners, it's pretty much a guarantee.

That's why I posted the thread; what is the schedule and divisional alignment going to look like?

Going back to phoenix only makes sense if they have an arena in a good location with a long lease in place

houston makes a lot of sense

personally im a fan of the thrashers but i dont know what has changed from when they were in the league last time. At least with phoenix you can point to a few factors

 

[PistolPete]

Going back to phoenix only makes sense if they have an arena in a good location with a long lease in place

houston makes a lot of sense

personally im a fan of the thrashers but i dont know what has changed from when they were in the league last time. At least with phoenix you can point to a few factors

Re: Atlanta

The arena. I can't remember the details but their arena situation forced thr relocation.

According to people on another threas who are from the city, location was also an issue as well as ownership that didn't seem to care

 

[PistolPete]

They aren’t going straight to 36, if they go to 36. It will be gradual, and will need different schedules as teams are added.

Per The Hockey News they would expand to 34 immediately.

I would think if everything is in order they'd then go straight to 36 a couple of seasons later

Are they also playing with wooden sticks, and leather skates, and crap equipycompared to today.
Are the goalies going to g back on time and wearing horse hair pads, that way a ton when wet.

? Not getting the implicit point you're attempting to make