NHL Considers Division Realignment

The new-look NHL, less than two years removed from a lockout that almost destroyed the league, may soon get another facelift.

Currently it’s only a concept and may not even make it to a vote at January’s board of governors meeting, but the league is definitely entertaining the idea of realigning its divisions, and cutting them down from six teams to four.

The massive overhaul would see the Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets switching conferences, and was raised Wednesday in New York when several governors met with commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss solutions to an ongoing schedule conflict.

Governors will look over the proposal in the coming weeks and will decide whether it’s worth a vote. Public and media reaction will also factor into whether it makes the table in Dallas next month.

How the Thrashers and Blue Jackets will feel about switching conferences will also be a factor.

There’s certain logic in moving Columbus so it would be in the same division as nearby Pittsburgh – but then again, who knows where the Penguins end up next season.

As for the Thrashers, general manager Don Waddell said the proposal was news to him, proof of just how far this it has to go before becoming a reality.

“We have not yet been approached by anyone associated with the league regarding switching divisions and conferences,” Waddell said.

“Therefore, we’ll defer to the league and will not comment until the appropriate time.

“I will say that our organization is pleased with the current situation and our alignment in the Eastern Conference.”

As it stands, the conceptual realignment would look something like this:

• There would be four divisions instead of six. The Eastern and Western Conferences would each have eight- and seven- team divisions.
• Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Colorado and Phoenix would make up the eight-team division in the Western Conference.
• The seven-team division would feature Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas, Minnesota and Eastern Conference newcomer Atlanta.
• In the East the big group would feature Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Buffalo, Boston, Pittsburgh and Western Conference alumni Columbus.
• The other division would include the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington, Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina.
• The Caps rejoining their old Patrick Division rivals was a popular idea at Wednesday’s meeting.
• The top four playoff seeds would come from the top two teams in each division while four wild-card playoff berths would then be battled among the teams with the next highest point totals. The playoff format would remain the same.

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