Division Realignment Idea

[Hockeyholic]

Going back to 1vs 8 is preferable

As a fan, I'm annoyed at seeing conference final level matches occurring in earlier rounds.

 

[ItWasJustified]

If earth rotated north to south instead of west to east this would make sense. In reality, not so much.

 

[coolboarder]

Interesting to hear a TBL fan say that, since they are one of the teams I figured would hate my 3-conference idea, which emulates the COVID Central Division (though I came up with the idea long before the 2021 season). It goes like this:

Pacific Conference: ANA, ARZ, CGY, COL, EDM, LAK, SJS, SEA, VAN, VGK (10 teams)
Central Conference: CAR, CHI, CBJ, DAL, DET, FLA, MIN, NSH, STL, TBL, WPG (11 teams)
Eastern Conference: BOS, BUF, MTL, NJD, NYI, NYR, OTT, PHI, PIT, TOR, WSH (11 teams)

Schedule for this setup is super easy: each 11-team conference plays 4 games x 10 conference opponents (40), and 2 x 21 non-conference opponents (42) for 82 games. Pacific just has a 5th game (one home, one away) vs 2 of their conference rivals to balance out.

The playoff format would make all the odds equal by having the top 3 Pacific teams, and top 4 Central and Eastern teams get automatic spots, then the next 5 teams by record, as long as no conference exceeds 7 teams in the playoffs total, get the rest. This "range" makes it so that the odds are 3-7/10 (avg 5/10), and 4-7/11 (avg. 5.5/11) every year.

As for working out the uneven pool: you would only ever have these scenarios occur in this setup:

1. A 6/6/4 split, in which all the conferences would pair up teams within themselves, 1 v 6, 2 v 5, and 3 v 4

2. 2 odd conferences (5/5/6, or 7/3/6, or 7/4/5, etc...) which would result in 1 crossover series if it's Pacific/Central or Central/Eastern, or 2 crossovers if it's Pacific and Eastern that are odd-numbered (1 PAC/CEN and 1 CEN/EAST, to minimize time zone travel)

And finally, to prevent the Eastern time-zone teams in the Central conference (DET, CBJ, TBL, FLA, CAR) from having to play crossover series vs Pacific in the 1st 2 rounds, you simply make it so that only the Central time-zone teams (WPG, MIN, CHI, NSH, STL, DAL) are eligible for those crossovers, and same goes for those teams in Eastern Conference crossovers (only the former teams do that). With a 6-5 split in the Central conference on which teams come from which time zones, you would almost always prevent the bad crossovers, unless there are 0 teams from one time zone, which would be rare.

I have some examples if you're curious: 1, 2, 3, 4

I have made a similar proposal a several years ago on 3 conference idea with one small difference:
you play first 64 games, 2 games each team vs 32 teams and the conference that has the top 2 of number of points amongst themselves would gain 6 playoffs spots for that specific conference and the conference with the lowest total points would gain 4 playoff spots. That proposal was for 33rd team realignment to be split amongst 11 teams each conference. The weakest conference would play first round and the winner would be split up into different bracket, one conference series winner would join conference A and one other series winner would join conference B for the duration of the playoffs. If a president trophy winner happens to be from the weakest conference would still retains the home ice advantage regardless of which conference they would be split up.

It doesn't make any sense to have 32 teams to have 3 conference but that was one of my proposal for 33rd team. If you could check my post, I made the graphic and I do not know if HFBoard still archives my post with images. Also part of this proposal is that it is quite possible for a weakest conference to meet in the Stanley Cup Final, like all Pacific teams or All Central teams or even all Mountain time zone Stanley Cup Final.

 

[coolboarder]

Going back to 1vs 8 is preferable

As a fan, I'm annoyed at seeing conference final level matches occurring in earlier rounds.

The margin of this possibility goes slim if the NHL adapts my 8 division, no conference format proposal. First round, top 2 in each division makes playoffs and divisional series winner playing with 7 other divisional winners for a quarterfinal series. The odd of top 2 best team in same division is quite low under my proposal. Go with 8/2 schedule matrix for perfect 80 games season.

 

[njdevils1982]

If earth rotated north to south instead of west to east this would make sense. In reality, not so much.

sounds like a rod serling idea

 

[Cogburn]

Move 8 teams from the East Coast to the West, both Mountain and Pacific time zones, then we can alter the formula.

Toronto would look good rebranded as the Sutter Valley Maple Leafs. Boise, Reno, Salt Lake City, Juneau, Nebraska and Portland all need teams too. Number 8 can be...Regina?

 

[VivaLasVegas]

I agree that the Northern Division is rough. Where can the compromise be made? (if you're interested in having this conversation at all)

Would leave the West the same due to time zones, but would re-arrange the East to get rid of the silliness of the Canadian teams being in the same division as the Florida teams:

NORTHEAST
Toronto
Montreal
Ottawa
Boston
Buffalo
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey

SOUTHEAST
Philadelphia
Washington
Pittsburg
Detroit
Florida
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Columbus

 

[rojac]

The margin of this possibility goes slim if the NHL adapts my 8 division, no conference format proposal. First round, top 2 in each division makes playoffs and divisional series winner playing with 7 other divisional winners for a quarterfinal series. The odd of top 2 best team in same division is quite low under my proposal. Go with 8/2 schedule matrix for perfect 80 games season.

4 team divisions are horrible. Way too much of a chance of sesame teams making the playoffs over more deserving ones. I don't understand the appeal that 4 team divisions have for some people.

In any event, NHL alignment will always likely be a compromise since any realignment requires approval by 3/4 of the teams and I think the NHLPA.

 

[rojac]

Would leave the West the same due to time zones, but would re-arrange the East to get rid of the silliness of the Canadian teams being in the same division as the Florida teams:

NORTHEAST
Toronto
Montreal
Ottawa
Boston
Buffalo
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey

SOUTHEAST
Philadelphia
Washington
Pittsburg
Detroit
Florida
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Columbus

Are there any players, GMs, or owners who actually have an issue with the Eastern Conference alignment?

 

[Drake1588]

All 16 teams in the East are in the Eastern time zone. Any realignment idea that adds a central time zone team or two is a non starter.

The Florida teams are with the Canadian teams because 1) there are a lot of snowbirds in Florida, and a steady dose of Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Boston games are good for the box office; and 2) it takes all the Patrick Division teams and puts them in one division instead of breaking the teams from the old division up into two separate divisions. It puts Washington back with its traditional rivals in the mid-Atlantic.

One of the goals of the last realignment was to stress old rivalries. This keeps a lot of the old Adams and Patrick rivalries together, adds the newer teams where they can, and keeps a lot of Eastern teams (i.e., more than you need to block other realignment proposals) very happy. Rivalries are good for the gate.

No one has fond memories of "rivalries" from the Southeast Division, and splitting those teams up didn't cause any regret. But there are a lot of fond memories of the Adams and Patrick.

 

[Ruggs225]

The only switch i would want to see is boston and carolina.

Would bring back the Bos/NYR rivalry.

Also would bring the three southeast teams together.

 

[BLNY]

Terrible for Detroit, Buffalo, and Toronto to play so many games outside their time zone.

Agreed.

I've toyed with the idea a few times and always come back to reforming the old Norris Division. I know that the league wants Toronto and Montreal in the same division, but there's an inequity that can be solved but a realignment.

At least it's not as bad as the NFL, who have the Cowboys in the NFC East lol.

 

[BKarchitect]

The only switch i would want to see is boston and carolina.

Would bring back the Bos/NYR rivalry.

Also would bring the three southeast teams together.

But then you are taking Boston out of Montreal’s division which is a far more important historical rivalry.

And Carolina isn’t even remotely close to the Florida teams. Look at the map on the last page. Nobody is crying out for more Hurricanes vs Panthers regular season games.

Every idea to tweak the East to create a Southeast “quadrant” creates a conundrum with some existing rivalry with historical significance that is trying to be protected in the current alignment. The two Florida teams are so far away geographically from anybody else that having them on an island is basically going to happen no matter what. There is no Atlanta to “connect” some geographical region all neat anymore.

I don’t understand why folks are so hellbent on trying to force some Southeast division that A) has little historical significance and B) doesn’t even work geographically with the current cities in the league.

 

[Bizzare]

Don’t get “why” we’re making this change and it just seems bad for more teams.

 

[kvladimir]

a steady dose of Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Boston games are good for the box office

A steady does of.............. one more game! (Honestly, I think we're a little overly hung up on the idea that division rivalries create a significant difference in games played... though that alone is not much to motivate change)

One of the goals of the last realignment was to stress old rivalries.

Like Detroit versus Chicago! Wait...

 

[Crede777]

If people who are fans of Western Conference teams wanted less travel time for their teams, they shouldn't have settled cities that are so far apart.

 

[Kraken Jokes]

I know people love to dismiss this when they gift the world with their genius of these realignments. But Toronto, Detroit and Columbus all fought to be taken out of divisions that weren't in EST due to travel and start times etc. They WILL NOT accept being put into situations where they will have lots of dumb travel.
This idea is ass. As another poster showed, while not perfect, the current system is about the cleanest it is going to get.

What about my OP came across as being so arrogant?

 

[mr figgles]

Would leave the West the same due to time zones, but would re-arrange the East to get rid of the silliness of the Canadian teams being in the same division as the Florida teams:

NORTHEAST
Toronto
Montreal
Ottawa
Boston
Buffalo
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey

SOUTHEAST
Philadelphia
Washington
Pittsburg
Detroit
Florida
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Columbus

Breaking up Philadelphia from the New York teams is sillier considering they are a short bus trip apart. The Florida teams are way out of the way for everyone, so someone has to make the trek. Better it’s the Atlantic teams to keep Philadelphia and NY together for travel and the historic rivalries.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Are there any players, GMs, or owners who actually have an issue with the Eastern Conference alignment?

Who knows? That wasn't the question asked by OP.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Keep the divisions the same just cut back on the cross conference games. I don't need to watch Boston play Anaheim, Minnesota, and Calgary twice a year. I'd much rather just play the other conference once a year and replace the 2nd game with division rival match ups. I'm sure many other fans of other teams might feel similar too

Disagree, want to see every team in the barn once.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Would leave the West the same due to time zones, but would re-arrange the East to get rid of the silliness of the Canadian teams being in the same division as the Florida teams:

NORTHEAST
Toronto
Montreal
Ottawa
Boston
Buffalo
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey

SOUTHEAST
Philadelphia
Washington
Pittsburg
Detroit
Florida
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Columbus

Wouldn’t have issues with that

 

[Hoek]

Interesting to hear a TBL fan say that, since they are one of the teams I figured would hate my 3-conference idea, which emulates the COVID Central Division (though I came up with the idea long before the 2021 season). It goes like this:

Pacific Conference: ANA, ARZ, CGY, COL, EDM, LAK, SJS, SEA, VAN, VGK (10 teams)
Central Conference: CAR, CHI, CBJ, DAL, DET, FLA, MIN, NSH, STL, TBL, WPG (11 teams)
Eastern Conference: BOS, BUF, MTL, NJD, NYI, NYR, OTT, PHI, PIT, TOR, WSH (11 teams)

It was mostly fun because we got to see Carolina and Nashville more regularly and those matchups got spicy really quickly, plus the Stanley Cup rematch with Dallas. Throwing more regular trips to Minnesota and Winnipeg in there kind of dampers my enthusiasm for this concept, though it's not that bad.

People say there wasn't much history or anything to miss with the Southeast division, but from a Tampa fan's perspective it's kind of a drag constantly playing teams with way more history than us that don't really see us as a true rival no matter how much we beat them since they have decades older rivalries.

 

[jgatie]

Disagree, want to see every team in the barn once.

I honestly couldn't care less about seeing every team once at home. I'd rather see division rivals 6 or 8 times a year than see Winnipeg or Calgary once.

 

[tfwnogf]

 

[Golden_Jet]

I honestly couldn't care less about seeing every team once at home. I'd rather see division rivals 6 or 8 times a year than see Winnipeg or Calgary once.

Been there done that, STH weren’t fans of seeing the same teams over and over.