2012/2013 realignment

[Zee]

I'm really not that concerned about realignment - there are so many ways to slice and dice it.

What I would really like is a change to the playoff format back to the good old days - 1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, etc. It's the teams missing out on playoff berths to teams that have fewer points that bothers me.

I'm with you, but in that case you would need to have all the teams play each other an equal amount of games otherwise you'll run foul of teams having a more difficult schedule vs. teams with an easier schedule.

Makes sense to me (I know there are the travel arguments, blah,blah, blah....but it just irks me)

I know, I liked the days of 1 vs. 16 etc.

 

[Fletch]

I'm really not that concerned about realignment - there are so many ways to slice and dice it.

What I would really like is a change to the playoff format back to the good old days - 1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, etc. It's the teams missing out on playoff berths to teams that have fewer points that bothers me.

Do you mean within a conference?  Has it happened yet that a division winner made the playoffs, and the 9th seed had more points?  I think it came close one year, with the Southeast.  I think that may be when they earned the SouthLeast nickname.  If that happened, I would have a problem with it, especially as a fan of a perennial #9 team. 

If you mean that the east #8 had fewer points than the west #9, then I am okay with that.  We have two conferences.  I don't want to see some CFL model crossover style, where Vancouver could end up representing the East in the final.  I think that the east play predominantly against the east, and the west vs. the west, with the best 8 from each conference advancing to the playoffs.

All of these arguements aside, I doubt the League has a solution yet, and won't until we know where Phoenix ends up.  Doesn't make sense to kep them in the west, then have the Nordiques playing in the west.

 

[bustaheims]

I'm really not that concerned about realignment - there are so many ways to slice and dice it.

What I would really like is a change to the playoff format back to the good old days - 1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, etc. It's the teams missing out on playoff berths to teams that have fewer points that bothers me.

Being that the NHL only briefly had any playoff format where the 1st place team played the 16th place team (and, by briefly, I mean, it only existed for 2 seasons), I'm not sure what "good old days" you're referring to.

 

[Madferret]

What about if they realigned by a jersey color system of some sort? Or even easier - alphabetical?

 

[bustaheims]

Honestly, other than dealing with the Winnipeg situation, I see no reason for re-alignment, never mind radical re-alignment like some are suggesting.

Do you mean within a conference?  Has it happened yet that a division winner made the playoffs, and the 9th seed had more points?  I think it came close one year, with the Southeast.  I think that may be when they earned the SouthLeast nickname.  If that happened, I would have a problem with it, especially as a fan of a perennial #9 team. 

It's never happened, no. The closest it every came with in 07-08, when the South East winning Caps had the same point total as the 8th place Bruins - the closest non-playoff team not from the South East finished 4 points behind. There isn't a single season where a division winner would not have been at least 8th in the conference - and, considering the conference heavy schedule, that's all that should matter. The only change I'd like to see to the system is that division winners don't automatically get ranked in the top 3 in conference. Guarantee them a playoff spot, sure - I mean, odds are, they'd be a playoff team any ways - but, rank them in relation to their actual point totals.

 

[ZBBM]

Looking at the map, you could also make a case for moving Nashville to the Southeast and Minnesota to the Central. The Wild are a lot closer to the remaining teams in the Central than Dallas. It would also reignite some old rivalries with the Blues and Chicago.

armche solution is logical, or this one.  With the cost of fuel / carbon footrprint concerns only going get bigger, I think they'll choose realignment that minimizes both.

 

[Kin]

armche solution is logical, or this one.  With the cost of fuel / carbon footrprint concerns only going get bigger, I think they'll choose realignment that minimizes both.

Yeah, that's what's going to kill any kind of radical realignment. The NHL's #1 concern is going to be travel costs followed closely by their #2 concern over travel costs.

 

[Scot4bz]

I'm really not that concerned about realignment - there are so many ways to slice and dice it.

What I would really like is a change to the playoff format back to the good old days - 1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, etc. It's the teams missing out on playoff berths to teams that have fewer points that bothers me.

Being that the NHL only briefly had any playoff format where the 1st place team played the 16th place team (and, by briefly, I mean, it only existed for 2 seasons), I'm not sure what "good old days" you're referring to.

Just that it was my preferred format ......and it was a while back. It would have complications relative to conferences but I still liked it.

 

[Bender]

Blue Jackets are closest to East according to Wiki.

 

[seahawk]

Blue Jackets are closest to East according to Wiki.

That may be the case, but Nashville is the furthest south. They are 250-300 miles closer to the Florida teams and only 100-150 further away from Washington and Carolina. Plus the Blue Jackets are closer to the other teams in the Central.

 

[maplesyrup]

Just point in fact, Holland was on Hockeycentral at noon yesterday and re-affirmed his/ownership's desire for the Wings to be in the East. 

 

[sneakyray]

Just point in fact, Holland was on Hockeycentral at noon yesterday and re-affirmed his/ownership's desire for the Wings to be in the East.

they.ve been whining about this on detroit sports radio for years...boo hoo we have sooooo much traveling...actually they think that bettman has it out for the wings (as if the commish hates one of his premiere teams!)

anyways, their theory is that the nhl needs the wings in the west because they are the only big draw team left in the west to sell out other teams buildings when they play there (ie. pheonix, anaheim, etc.)

 

[Bender]

Just point in fact, Holland was on Hockeycentral at noon yesterday and re-affirmed his/ownership's desire for the Wings to be in the East.

they.ve been whining about this on detroit sports radio for years...boo hoo we have sooooo much traveling...actually they think that bettman has it out for the wings (as if the commish hates one of his premiere teams!)

anyways, their theory is that the nhl needs the wings in the west because they are the only big draw team left in the west to sell out other teams buildings when they play there (ie. pheonix, anaheim, etc.)

Kinda makes sense tbh.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Just point in fact, Holland was on Hockeycentral at noon yesterday and re-affirmed his/ownership's desire for the Wings to be in the East.

they.ve been whining about this on detroit sports radio for years...boo hoo we have sooooo much traveling...actually they think that bettman has it out for the wings (as if the commish hates one of his premiere teams!)

anyways, their theory is that the nhl needs the wings in the west because they are the only big draw team left in the west to sell out other teams buildings when they play there (ie. pheonix, anaheim, etc.)

Kinda makes sense tbh.

Seriously. Detroit being in the West makes about as much sense as when Toronto was in the West. I really don't understand the tone of that post. Detroit has every right to whine.

Unfortunately, even if the NHL got over that issue (and the fact that the Central division would be pretty stale right now without the Wings), there's really nowhere to put the Wings in the East unless a dramatic alignment occurs. No teams are betting booted from the Northeast or Atlantic divisions.

 

[Kin]

It's important to remember that for all of their on-ice success, the Red Wings aren't the Leafs or Rangers in terms of finances. They struggle to fill an old arena in an economically depressed city. Having what has to be close to the highest travel costs in the league is probably a legitimate issue for them.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Bob McKenzie re-sparked this debate with a tweet earlier tonight:

@TSNBobMcKenzie Bob McKenzie
More and more NHL governors convinced DET will be moving to SE Div in Eastern Conference when realignment done in early December.

Obviously, nothing concrete yet, but if it comes from Bob it's got to mean something. He later speculates that Winnipeg would take Detroit's spot in the Central and that would be it for realignment. It seems like the NHL would be taking the easier possible course of action here. I'm sure Detroit won't necessarily complain, as they'll finally be in the East, but I'm sure it wasn't really what they were expecting.

 

[Frank E]

Great. Detroit in the east. Like the Leafs' playoff hopes needed more hurdles.

 

[L K]

Great. Detroit in the east. Like the Leafs' playoff hopes needed more hurdles.

On the flip side, Carolina will never make the playoffs again with Washington/Detroit/Tampa.

 

[Corn Flake]

Teams in the East should approve this, on the condition that Lidstrom has to retire before it happens.

 

[cw]

It's important to remember that for all of their on-ice success, the Red Wings aren't the Leafs or Rangers in terms of finances. They struggle to fill an old arena in an economically depressed city. Having what has to be close to the highest travel costs in the league is probably a legitimate issue for them.

If they move to the South East, I'm not sure their travel costs will get better if distance traveled has anything to do with those costs - and it usually does:
http://www.section303.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/NHL-map.jpg