2012/2013 realignment

[pnjunction]

What about the conferences with 8 teams? Do they play a different system of games?  Isn't it unfair that they have to beat 7 other teams to make the playoffs instead of just 6?

I wanted 2 conferences.  4 games against each team in the conference for 56.  2 games against those in the other for 30. 86 total.  Completely fair.  Drop 2 money-pit teams if you want to go back to 82 games. 

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

I wonder if this changes the draft at all?

Will it be points based? Or the bottom 4 teams are all %25 chance at #1, or what?

Seems somewhat more confusing, or not.

 

[L K]

TSNBobMcKenzie: ANA, LAK, SJS, PHX, COL, VAN, CGY, EDM in one 8-team conference. DAL, STL, CHI, MIN, WPG, NSH, DET, CBJ in other 8-team conference.

TSNBobMcKenzie: TOR, MTL, OTT, BUF, BOS, FLA, TB in one 7-team conference. NYR, NYI, NJD, PHI, PIT, WSH, CAR in other 7-team conference.

To me you could easily move Columbus/Detroit out of the Central division into either of the ummm North+South East or Central-East conferences.

Toronto to Tampa isn't that bad of a flight to worry too much about those travel days but the general travel for the Leafs goes way up with more Western conference games.

In terms of positives, it does fix some of the issues with travel in general and does a reasonable job of not killing rivalries but then they go and make a stupid playoff format.  Once again, bad teams get an advantage if their "conference" is weak when the general regular season schedule moves to a more balanced schedule. 

 

[pnjunction]

Man how much does it suck to be stuck in that 8 team division with Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit and Dallas the way they are playing now.  That's the top 4 teams in the west.  St Louis is in a playoff spot right and they'd be out.

 

[lamajama]

Off the top of my head I think this actually looks pretty good.  The two Florida teams in our conf is stupid -- might as well call it the Snowbird Conference -- but it's hard to see how they do it otherwise, unless they stuck DET and CBJ in with us and put FLA and TBL in the midwest.

Well for you guys who live in the East, won't it be more opp to fly down to Florida to see a Leaf game?

 

[Kessel Run]

This is way more confusing then it should be. Just swap Winnipeg for Columbus or Detroit from East to West.

 

[Deebo]

andystricklandAndy Strickland

League source "don't get caught up in two confereces having 7 vs two having 8 teams...NHL may expand to 32 teams and all 4 will have 8 #NHL

Just what the NHL needs, more teams.

 

[groundskeeper willie]

This is way more confusing then it should be. Just swap Winnipeg for Columbus or Detroit from East to West.

Which will upset a lot of the teams and have more travel overall.

We in the east don't mind the current system, but every single team in the west (and their fans) hate it.

 

[groundskeeper willie]

andystricklandAndy Strickland

League source "don't get caught up in two confereces having 7 vs two having 8 teams...NHL may expand to 32 teams and all 4 will have 8 #NHL

Just what the NHL needs, more teams.

So you need two more eastern teams to make that work - Quebec and SW Ontario then?

 

[Strangelove]

I don't mind the conference alignments here, but the playoff format seems a bit out of whack - there's going to be some pissed off teams in 5th place in strong conferences watching weaker teams in other conferences qualify. 

At the same time, it at least looks on the surface as though it'll be easier for the Leafs to make it - 4 out of 7 teams is a little friendlier than 8 out of 15.

 

[Stronger Than All]

Oh please don't increase the number of times we play the Sabres and Bruins!

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I'm surprised they put both 7-conference teams in the East. Seems very odd.

 

[Deebo]

Oh please don't increase the number of times we play the Sabres and Bruins!

still 6.

 

[Strangelove]

andystricklandAndy Strickland

League source "don't get caught up in two confereces having 7 vs two having 8 teams...NHL may expand to 32 teams and all 4 will have 8 #NHL

Just what the NHL needs, more teams.

So you need two more eastern teams to make that work - Quebec and SW Ontario then?

Bettman'll probably want to test out a shiny new market.  New Orleans Swampers, anyone?

 

[Edeagle]

So the top 4 teams in each conference make the play-offs.. but two conferences have more teams? This seems kind of stupid.. they should have just got rid of the divisions and split it east and west.. I don't know about anyone else but I hardly look at divisional standings anyway.

 

[Bonsixx]

TSNBobMcKenzie: Four conference winners are seeded on total points, 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3, so an all-East or all-West final is possible.

This I like.

 

[cw]

andystricklandAndy Strickland

League source "don't get caught up in two confereces having 7 vs two having 8 teams...NHL may expand to 32 teams and all 4 will have 8 #NHL

Just what the NHL needs, more teams.

So you need two more eastern teams to make that work - Quebec and SW Ontario then?

Maybe or it gives them some flexibility if a team moves.

In the short term:

Basic % chance a team makes the playoffs under existing system:

East & West: 8/15 =  .533

Basic % chance a team makes the playoffs under new system:
In East: 4/7 =  .571
In West: 4/8 = .500


What standings would look like if in place this year:

1 BOSTON      0.700
2 FLORIDA      0.630
3 TORONTO    0.593
4 BUFFALO      0.558 - ^^ Playoffs ^^
5 OTTAWA      0.537
6 MONTREAL  0.500
7 TAMPA BAY  0.462


I think the Flyers-Rangers-Pens conference gets by far the best deal in terms of travel.

 

[avatarx51]

So the top 4 teams in each conference make the play-offs.. but two conferences have more teams? This seems kind of stupid.. they should have just got rid of the divisions and split it east and west.. I don't know about anyone else but I hardly look at divisional standings anyway.

This i really dont understand one conference has 7 teams and one has 8 and top 4 of each make it how is that fair?

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

JonathanWillis Jonathan Willis
Had new system been in place last season, the NHL's 12th-best team (the #Kings) would have missed the playoffs.

 

[Leafaholic99]

andystricklandAndy Strickland

League source "don't get caught up in two confereces having 7 vs two having 8 teams...NHL may expand to 32 teams and all 4 will have 8 #NHL

Just what the NHL needs, more teams.

Id rather them fold 2 teams and have 7 teams per conference.