It makes no sense to me, just switch the Jets with either the Predators or Jackets. Messing up the conferences is foolish. Is there any other reason as to why they are planning this?

 

Am I the only one who thinks this is stupid? Why change what works and seperate teams that have been rivals for years?

Why would you put Nashville in the Southest? That would put them in the wrong time zone and increase the travel times from what is proposed.

What about Dallas or Minnesota? There are many problems with the current system.

You ask " why change what works?" My response is the current system doesn't work. When there are seven teams that play games in their own division that are two time zones away, it's not working.

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Putting teams in their own time zones is the simple answer.

Biss, not to make this about age, but these divisions haven't been around that long.  There are some who miss the old Adams, Patrick, Smythe and Norris (man the Norris was baaaaad), but expansion and relocation made them obsolete.  No different here - it's been building for a while and with the Thrashers moving to Winnipeg, it's time to do something about it.  This proposal keeps most of the key rivals together - Boston-Mtl, Mtl-Toronto, Toronto-Ottawa, Pitt-Philly, Calgary-Edmonton.  The one that it loses is Detroit-Colorado, but I think that's calmed a lot since Colorado went into rebuild.

I liked the first version of it that had the Rangers and us in the same division. Miss that rivalry and now that the Rangers are getting good again (aside from their current injury issues) I think it would become 2nd only to the Bos-Mtl rivalry around here. 

In response to red75's comment:

Nashville would go in the southeast in many people's minds because geographically Nashville is in the southeast.

In response to Chowdahkid-'s comment:

Agree with this.  Detroit has wanted in the east for a long long time.  

In response to Hockeymomsrule's comment:

How old are you?  I'm 41 and I've never known the Bruins and Rangers to have a rivalry.  I think people think they should be rivals because of the Sox and Yankees.

In response to shuperman's comment:

Then you'd have to put Columbus in the East too.  If Quebec ever gets another team, you'd have 17 teams in the Eastern Time Zone.

In response to goodnewsbears' comment:

I agree.  It's Montreal and that's it.  The only other team I dislike and get geared up for in the East is Buffalo.  From the west, it's Vancouver.  Everything else is just another game.

 

In response to goodnewsbears' comment:

Columbus can suffer.  seattle will have a team before quebec.  

In response to shuperman's comment:

Yes, they sure can.  They've been suffering since 2000.

In response to Not-A-Shot's comment:

Agreed.  Hated how NBCsports played up that NYR vs Bruins earlier this year.

In response to red75's comment:

Exactly.  Dont forget about Detroit.  In the Eastern time zone , but in the Western conference.

The realignment is completely necessary.

 

I need to get better at reading entire threads before I comment.  I start at the top and if I find something that I want to respond to, I do.  With reckless disregard for the fact that 4 other people already made a similar reply to the same post.

Drewski, that is direct result of not ignoring posters.  Drive by reading if you will.  I don't ignore but I do not read certain posters, Stanley in particular now.  

In line with alignment, Red had a recommendation a month or so.  I thought it was well organized.  Travel time should be evened out, more than likely time zones but not exclusively.  

 

In response to Drewski5's comment:

The best solution is less teams:

Adams Division: boston, ottawa, montreal, toronto, buffalo, TB, carolina

Calder Division: pittsburgh, philly, NJD,NYR, NYI, Washington, columbus

Norris Division: chicago, detroit, st. louis,calgary,minny, winnipeg, colorado

 Smythe Division : anaheim,vancouver, calgary, edmonton, LA, SJ, seattle

 

 same divsion play 4 games (4X6= 24) other con. div 4 games ( 4X7= 28 gms) Other conference 2 gms each (2 X 14 = 28) 80 gms. total to a season.

Schedule it for teams have a home and home series.

Conference are called simple enough East and West

There will be a home and away with each team and the potential match ups for a stanely cup final are more interesting in my opinion. Change is good

In response to Mikeonetwo's comment:

 

There will be a home and away with each team and the potential match ups for a stanely cup final are more interesting in my opinion. Change is good

 

eventually vancouver and seattle will be a big rival

 

TSN has how the playoffs would work as well the Division names (Boston's would be named the Central - yeah that makes sense)

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

 

From the article:

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.

I was just looking at the initial labels over at Y! Sports.  The have the B's in Conference 2.  With four of the six O6 teams, you'd think that would be Conference 1!

With the reversion to the division setup, I'm kind of glad that Winnipeg didn't get put in with Calgary and Edmonton.  Too many bad memories from those old playoff matches. It should help with strengthening existing rivalries (better odds for Habs/Bruins, Wings/Leafs playoff series) and help build new ones (Jets/Wild, Van/LA).

I don't care how much "The West" suffers but I hear it all the time. People out here in Van haven't seen Crosby or Ovie enough. They haven't seen the Bruins since "The Finals". Western teams have ridiculous travel schedule. I don't have any simpathy but . . .  that's some of the reasons for movement

Expansion coming perhaps?