How I Would Reorganize the NHL

[IrishCanadian25]

There's been a LOAD of talk lately about the NHL and teams being moved / contracted. I have a proposal I feel will work very well. Below are, by division, how I have the new NHL shaking out and the reasons why.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

New Jersey Devils
New York Rangers
Boston Bruins
Montreal Canadians
Philadelphia Flyers

major changes- The Islanders are, as you can see, gone. Their absence, coupled with the movement of the Penguins to another division, makes room for the Canadians and Bruins. This division now has 3 original-6 teams and takes advantage of natural rivalries between New York and Boston.

Northeast Division

Buffalo Sabres
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
*Quebec City - new team
Detroit Red Wings

major changes - 2 more original 6's here, with the biggest changes being Detroit's move to the East and the addition of Quebec City's team. Let's assume they're getting the Islanders.

Southeast Division

Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Tampa Bay Lightning
Carolina Hurricanes
Nashville Predators

major changes- this sucks a bit for Pittsburgh at first, because travel gets worse and they don't get to enjoy that natural Flyers rivalry. But still, it puts Ovechkin and Crosby in the same division, which the NHL needs to do. The Florida Panthers are gone - Florida isn't a hockey state and doesn't need two teams. At least the Lightning stay competitive consistently and have a following. The Atlanta Thrashers are also gone.

Western Conference

Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Minnesota Wild
Dallas Stars
Colorado Avalance

Major Changes - the Red Wings and Predators are East, so Minnesota and Colorado must replace them. Worst traveling division in hockey, but that's life in the middle of the continent for a cold weather sport not named football. By now you realize that Columbus no longer has a hockey team.

Northwest Division

Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
*Winnipeg - New Team
*Seattle - New Team

Major Changes - the three northwest Canadian teams are in no man's land anyway. Seattle is a great sports city (and Portland can be) and Winnipeg is getting a team back anyhow. Let's say the Panthers and Blue Jackets become the two newbies.

Pacific Division

Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
*Portland - New Team
*Las Vegas - New Team

Portland goes to the Pacific while Vegas FINALLY gets a sports team. It's time. If the Hartford Whalers could survive in a shopping mall, the Vegas team could thrive in a casino. Season tickets would be a bitch, but corporate boxes would sell like crazy.

 

[Big Sexy]

That's obviously a lot of changes and that many changes would never happen in a short time period but I do like some of the changes. A couple of the changes that are actually very likely to happen are an American team moving to Canada and the Red Wings moving to the Eastern Conference.

Winnipeg has been the Canadian city discussed that would be getting a team back over Quebec but I do believe they need to get rid of one of the financially struggling American teams in favor of another Canadian team.

As far as Detroit goes, they were originally in the Eastern Conference way back when and it's time for them to move back. The West is definitely the better conference at the top and overall and it has been that way for a while. Moving Detroit back East will balance the conferences out more and also help the Wings out travel wise.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I like your re-alignment.

I think many teams have to be contracted from the NHL. Totally agree on Seattle and Portland getting teams. I don't think Las Vegas should get a team. However, somewhere to consider is a city in Maine. Maine is a huge hockey state.

The league is very much against contraction but if that's the case, then at least replace teams like Carolina, Phoenix, Florida, with cold weather teams, rather than contracting teams all together.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I have frequently made the case for Bangor, Maine. In fact, my original post to ESPN.com included Bangor as a team in the Northeast. I would have included them here, but I ran out of time and it would have screwed up my divisions.

How awesome would my Atlantic Division be as I posted below, though? First off, Devils / Rangers / Flyers is like the ultimate grudge trianlge match, and the fervor with which they play and the fans cheer in these three markets is insane. Add 2 original sixes and build a Boston / New York rivalry in hockey? Shit yeah!

 

[NSL]

Rather than Portland, Cleveland might be a better location.

Cleveland? Really? You made the case that if Seattle can't support a basketball team, they'll never rally behind a hockey team. That argument is even more true for Cleveland. LeBron left, and they had issues filling the cheap seats. Cleveland lives and dies by the Browns, no matter their level of play. The Indians are finally getting some attention, but it's been clear for a long time that this is a football town. A hockey team there would be about as profitable as the Panthers in Florida.

 

[Big Sexy]

That's obviously a lot of changes and that many changes would never happen in a short time period but I do like some of the changes. A couple of the changes that are actually very likely to happen are an American team moving to Canada and the Red Wings moving to the Eastern Conference.

Winnipeg has been the Canadian city discussed that would be getting a team back over Quebec but I do believe they need to get rid of one of the financially struggling American teams in favor of another Canadian team.

As far as Detroit goes, they were originally in the Eastern Conference way back when and it's time for them to move back. The West is definitely the better conference at the top and overall and it has been that way for a while. Moving Detroit back East will balance the conferences out more and also help the Wings out travel wise.

 

[NSL]

I like most of it. I don't agree with moving Pittsburgh though. Yes, Crosby and Ovechkin playing in the same division would be great, but for how long? Once those two are done (and Crosby, let's face it, may be), it makes no sense. The league will outlive those two stars, so a short-term gain does not do much for the long-term future.

Also, as a Rangers fan, do not take away the Islanders. I love to hate them, and it's my favorite rivalry. Rangers/Devils, and Rangers/Flyers are exciting to watch, but it's not quite the same. I get your point on the NY/Boston natural rivalries, but it just doesn't exist in hockey. The Rangers and Bruins have never had a rivalry, and you can't force one to happen.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Wow that's a lot of assumptions, many of which would be nice but I don't see in the forseeable future. Winnipeg is getting a team back, make no mistake about it. They should be the Jets, they may be the Moose, but either way, the NHL is returning to Manitoba next season and is exiting Atlanta for the second and hopefully final time.

A team in Quebec would be awesome too. It could be Florida or Phoenix providing the franchise, either way it would be good.

I think you have to keep Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Buffalo together. Quebec should be there too if they do return. Put Detroit back in the east into Atlanta's spot. Keep the Rangers, Islanders, Penguins, Flyers and Devils together.

Forget hockey in Vegas, it will never fly, and I'm not sold on Portland or Seattle either. If the Seattle fans won't support basketball, I doubt they're going to rally behind the NHL. The handful of fans who might are only a stone's throw away from Vancouver. Rather than Portland, Cleveland might be a better location.

Out of curiosity, where is all this talk of a loss of teams from Florida, New York, and Columbus coming from? Forget contraction, that's not likely to happen. Once the Thrashers leave and eventually the Coyotes as well, I'm not sure any other franchises are in jeopardy. But even if they are, isn't moving a team from Florida to Vegas, or Columbus to Seattle, sort of like escaping a burning skyscraper by jumping out of a 20th story window?

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I like most of it. I don't agree with moving Pittsburgh though. Yes, Crosby and Ovechkin playing in the same division would be great, but for how long? Once those two are done (and Crosby, let's face it, may be), it makes no sense. The league will outlive those two stars, so a short-term gain does not do much for the long-term future.

If Crosby's out, Malkin's there. Plus, loads of teams have rivalries that outlive their stars, but those rivalries either begin with those stars, or the stars take those rivalries to new heights. Magic vs Bird is a big reason for the resurgence of the Lakers / Celtics rivalry. The Packers and 49ers have a rivalry thanks in part to Favre vs Young. You can build the team rivalry with Crosby / Malkin vs Ovechkin / Backstrom, and let the fans ride the wave as long as possible.

Also, as a Rangers fan, do not take away the Islanders. I love to hate them, and it's my favorite rivalry. Rangers/Devils, and Rangers/Flyers are exciting to watch, but it's not quite the same. I get your point on the NY/Boston natural rivalries, but it just doesn't exist in hockey. The Rangers and Bruins have never had a rivalry, and you can't force one to happen.

As a Rangers fan, you don't get an opinion. You're like an Afghani woman. Now put that burka on.

Seriously, though, the Islanders are long done. They are a sad franchise and a shell of their former selves. They plan in a dilapidated shit hole in a part of the country that should be blown up. The Islanders / Rangers rivalry is dead, and only relevant to those local fans because most years, neither of them have anything to play for other than beating each other. If Ohio State and Michigan were both .500 teams year in, year out, they'd have the rivalry only because they have each other. The Islanders haven't been relevant since the mid-80s. Rangers fans want to keep them just so they have a team that consistently sucks worse than they do.

Forget hockey in Vegas, it will never fly, and I'm not sold on Portland or Seattle either. If the Seattle fans won't support basketball, I doubt they're going to rally behind the NHL. The handful of fans who might are only a stone's throw away from Vancouver. Rather than Portland, Cleveland might be a better location.

Vegas has wanted a pro sports team for a while, so why wouldn't the NHL want to at least make those headlines. At the very least, it'd be INTERESTING. I personally see it as more of an NBA town than anything, but shit roll the dice (so to speak) and put a team there first. High risk, but REALLY high reward!

Seattle Hockey would have one thing Seattle Basketball didn't - local Canadian fans and a natural geographic rivalry with a team from Vancouver. The Raptors and Grizzlies both prove that basketball isn't sustainable in Canada - hockey is. So a border US city like Seattle with great fans who are now DYING for something to do without the Sonics may work very well.

Portland is one of the fastest growing cities in the US, whereas Cleveland cannot keep people to save their lives. They have enough trouble supporting the 3 teams they have, and no owner worth his salt is gonna put a team there. Awful idea.

One more thing - if Vegas does get a team, PLEASE have either Mark Cuban or Donald Trump in the owners box!!!

 

[hatehabsforever]

I would reorganize the NHL in a much simpler fashion. Here's how I would do it:

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins
Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
Quebec Nordiques
Buffalo Sabres
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Tampa Bay Lightning
Florida Panthers
Carolina Hurricanes

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Calgary Flames
San Jose Sharks
Nashville Predators
Anaheim Ducks
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Dallas Stars
Winnipeg Jets
Columbus Blue Jackets
Colorado Avalanche

For simplicity sake for you non Canadian NHL fans, who were unable to grasp the Wales and Campbell Conferences (as opposed to Eastern and Western Conferences), let's eliminate the divisions as well. No more Northeast, Pacific, etc., not to mention Adams, Smythe, etc., just two conferences of 15 teams. 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5.

In each conference of 15, the top 8 make the playoffs, the bottom 7 miss out.

Drop Atlanta and add Winnipeg. As this results in -1 for the East and +1 for the West, balance remains by dropping Phoenix but adding Quebec.

Otherwise, much remains the same. Existing divisional rivalries are maintained via scheduling accordingly. Detroit stays in the west unfortunately.

We know there are lots of teams on the bubble in terms of viability. Florida, NY Islanders, or Columbus could be replaced by Seattle, Portland, Cleveland, even Bangor, but definitely not Las Vegas. Let another league gamble with professional sports in this city (no pun intended). NHL has enough challenges without trying to put yet another franchise into a city destined to fail.

 

[Stormtrooper]

As a Rangers fan, you don't get an opinion. You're like an Afghani woman. Now put that burka on.

Seriously, though, the Islanders are long done. They are a sad franchise and a shell of their former selves. They plan in a dilapidated shit hole in a part of the country that should be blown up.

1. They're trying to build a new stadium. There's a vote on it August 1st. Of course who knows if the public would vote to spend 400 million public dollars to build a new Nassau Coliseum (and a minor league ballpark).
2. As someone who lives there (correction, lived there for 23 years, and will live there again in 3 weeks time), I say go fuck yourself. Long Island may suck, but it's not all that bad. Just WAAAAAAAAAAAAY to expensive.

The Islanders / Rangers rivalry is dead, and only relevant to those local fans because most years, neither of them have anything to play for other than beating each other. If Ohio State and Michigan were both .500 teams year in, year out, they'd have the rivalry only because they have each other. The Islanders haven't been relevant since the mid-80s. Rangers fans want to keep them just so they have a team that consistently sucks worse than they do.

Yeah, I know you're Jersey, and likely a Devils fan or something, but seriously, this is a load of bias crap.

The Rangers have made the playoffs all but 1 year since the Lockout, and won a cup in 94. The Islanders have been not good for a while, but have 4 playoff appearances since 2000, and they still have the 4 cups in a row from 79-83 (and a conference finals appearance in 92-93).

And as a Ranger fan, I want to keep the Islanders not because they suck (they get a new building and they won't suck, I can guaran-damn-tee it), but because Long Island needs them. Without the Islanders, they will lose the stadium (tear it down and build more commercial crap, like Long Island needs it), which would be a travesty.

Vegas has wanted a pro sports team for a while, so why wouldn't the NHL want to at least make those headlines. At the very least, it'd be INTERESTING. I personally see it as more of an NBA town than anything, but shit roll the dice (so to speak) and put a team there first. High risk, but REALLY high reward!

The sports leagues don't want to get in bed with Vegas because of the potential gambling implications. They frown on sports betting, and Vegas is king for that. The league would worry even more about the potential of someone throwing a game if they have a team there. They could potentially have a team play a few games there (and not allow betting on said games), but a team playing there would be hard.

Seattle Hockey would have one thing Seattle Basketball didn't - local Canadian fans and a natural geographic rivalry with a team from Vancouver. The Raptors and Grizzlies both prove that basketball isn't sustainable in Canada - hockey is. So a border US city like Seattle with great fans who are now DYING for something to do without the Sonics may work very well.

This you're 100% right on. Move the Phoenix Coyotes to Seattle (and name them the SubSonics just to be an ass to the NBA). Then move the Thrashers to Winnipeg or somewhere else in Canada and you're good.

 

[Big Sexy]

The Islanders are not going anywhere. They have way too much history and while the franchise isn't doing good there are other franchises that are worse off. The first three franchises to move are going to be the Atlanta Thrashers, Florida Panthers, and Phoenix Coyotes. They are bottom of the barrel money making and attendance franchises and moving any of them would be very smart.

The first city to get a team will be Winnipeg. I'd find it absolutely hilarious if the Coyotes went back there and, like I said, Atlanta and Florida are the other main possibilities. Las Vegas isn't going to get a team in the next few years and when/if they do I highly doubt it will be an NHL team.

 

[hatehabsforever]

The Islanders are not going anywhere. They have way too much history and while the franchise isn't doing good there are other franchises that are worse off. The first three franchises to move are going to be the Atlanta Thrashers, Florida Panthers, and Phoenix Coyotes. They are bottom of the barrel money making and attendance franchises and moving any of them would be very smart.

The first city to get a team will be Winnipeg. I'd find it absolutely hilarious if the Coyotes went back there and, like I said, Atlanta and Florida are the other main possibilities. Las Vegas isn't going to get a team in the next few years and when/if they do I highly doubt it will be an NHL team.

The Coyotes unfortunately are not returning to Winnipeg, it's all but certain that the Thrashers are headed there next season. It's been heavily reported up here and the expectation is that it will be announced any day now, to take effect for next season. The Coyotes will remain in Phoenix and lose another fortune for one more season and then they're gone too, hopefully to Quebec City.

Not sure where Florida will end up, but hopefully it is somewhere that hockey is appreciated, such as (potentially) Seattle, Cleveland, or Portland, as opposed to warmer climates such as Vegas or Florida.

The Islanders are not moving, too much history there.

 

[NSL]

As a Rangers fan, you don't get an opinion. You're like an Afghani woman. Now put that burka on.

You son of a...

Seriously, though, the Islanders are long done. They are a sad franchise and a shell of their former selves. They plan in a dilapidated shit hole in a part of the country that should be blown up. The Islanders / Rangers rivalry is dead, and only relevant to those local fans because most years, neither of them have anything to play for other than beating each other. If Ohio State and Michigan were both .500 teams year in, year out, they'd have the rivalry only because they have each other. The Islanders haven't been relevant since the mid-80s. Rangers fans want to keep them just so they have a team that consistently sucks worse than they do.

Yeah. And?

As everyone else has said, LI needs the Islanders, which is sad. There's also a lot of history there, and because of their early 80's success, they have a fairly large number of "alumni" that will always be around, pumping money and name-recognition into the team, to keep them around.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Habs already nailed this — this concept of divisions is what's making all these would-be moves and soon-to-be moves near impossible and what's dividing fans and angering franchises.

Take the Atlanta/Winnipeg fiasco for example — logic tells you to simply move the Thrashers to the west and into the Central Division to replace the Nashville Predators who being so close geographically to the South East as they are, would move there, right?

Problem: Nashville is a struggling market and despite their playoff success this past season, they will continue to struggle again next season to sell tickets to the more "meaningless" games.

The way to "re-align" the NHL is simple — lose divisions and work simply with the East and West. Yes, you'll still end up with "Western" cities playing in the Eastern time zone (like Columbus and Detroit), but it's much easier to call a spade a spade than it is to try appeasing the complaints of every fan and every franchise by re-drafting lines every year.

Phoenix will likely move next season, and again like Habs already noted, that'll likely be the end of relocation talks for a while.

Columbus, Florida (Panthers) and Nashville are all struggling as well, but they're still capable of salvaging their franchises, and the NHL will let them until they absolutely know beyond any shadow of doubt they can't, just like they're doing now with Atlanta and like they will with Phoenix next year.

 

[Hazardous]

Great thread IC.. I have been thinking about this for a few weeks. When they had talks of moving Phoenix to Winnipeg, it was okay. That's a west team, staying in the west. The balance is still there. Now that an Eastern team is moving to the West it throws the balance off. What the hell, I'll take a shot.. I dropped the number of Divisions down to 4. 2 in each conference. It's the was the OHL does it, and works quite well.

Eastern Conference​

East:

New Jersey
NYI
NYR
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Halifax
Tampa
Washington

I took out Florida, and added in Halifax. That's a city that doesn't come up much when NHL team talk is considered, but they do have a great love for the game. The city is big enough, with enough people to sell out an arena nightly. While travel for Tampa would suck, thats too bad. Dallas has the same thing, and they do fine.

Central:

Boston
Buffalo
Montreal
Ottawa
Toronto
Chicago
Detroit


5 of the original 6 in one division? Yeah crazy at first, but the history here is incredible. Also you see I moved Chicago and Detroit to the East.

Western Conference:​

Midwest:

Nashville
St.Louis
Winnipeg
Colorado
Portland
Minnesota
Dallas
Salt Lake City

Phoenix is gone, Portland is in. I think the third biggest city in the north west deserves their team back. I've seen their WHL team, and they have huge support. Also added Salt Lake. They have the untapped market there. We saw that in the Olympics. If you build it, they will come.

Pacific:

Calgary
Edmonton
Anaheim
LA
San Jose
Seattle
Vancouver

Seattle is in. People have been saying that they couldn't do it, and all that talk about loosing their basketball team.. Does anyone remember Vancouver had a Basketball team too? Yeah, not many others do either. Seattle is a hockey loving city. A lot of people come up to watch Canuck games.. Every game! They love hockey more than people think.

Teams that were taken out:
ATL: Already gone.
Carolina: I think its just a matter of time anyway.
Florida: Attendance is beyond poor.
Columbus: (see:Carolina)
Phoenix: Surprised? Really?

Teams Added:
Halifax.
Winnipeg.
Portland.
Seattle.
Salt Lake City