When the NHL approved the former Atlanta Thrashers' move to Winnipeg to become the Jets, we knew realignment would have to be done. However, no one expected it to be this radical.
The simple plan people thought would take place was for the Jets to move to the Central Division and either the Detroit Red Wings or Columbus Blue Jackets would move to the Southeast. In regards to this, Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that "The simple one wasn't as simple as it looked when you got done with it." Reports stated that some clubs didn't approve of this move either.
Thus, the scope broadened and the league discussed bigger changes. One concern that was expressed was the large amount of travel some Western Conference teams, such as Detroit, Dallas, Columbus, and Nashville, have to do during the course of the season.
From about an hour of deliberation between team representatives, a new four conference idea began to emerge. For the realignment to be approved, 20 out of the 30 teams had to approve. The teams have already approved the decision. The NHLPA has expressed concern and claims it needs to approve as well, but Bettman denies this claim.
Teams are pleased with the new conference alignment. They were concerned about keeping historic rivalries alive. "It was important to us to stay with longtime rivals. Not just Philly ... I think it was important to us to make sure we maintained the rivalries that we developed over the years and they're very good rivalries and our fans love to hate some of the teams we play against. I'm sure their fans love to hate us, too. So we're encouraged by that," Penguins CEO and President David Morehouse said Monday. "In the end, I think this will be a good thing for the league."
The proposed realignment creates two eight team conferences and two seven team conferences. This was a wise decision for two reasons. First, the looming sale of Phoenix Coyotes could have created a problem. However, the NHL solved this by placing the Coyotes in one of the eight team conferences. While the NHL wants to keep the team in Phoenix, it seems unlikely that a buyer will want to keep them there. This allows a new owner to move the team basically anywhere. Based on the new geographic location, the team could remain in the same division or switch to one of the two seven team conferences. Second, this opens up the opportunity for expansion down the road. The NHL could add two teams to even out the conferences to have eight teams each. There has been some interest in moving the Coyotes to and/or starting an expansion francise in Canada. Media tycoon Pierre Karl Peladeau is already building a $400 million arena in Quebec City and has openly expressed his desire to own a team.
Below is the proposed realignment. Reports state that the change could occur as soon as next season. Conference names have yet to be determined. The original idea was to develop geographical names, but a new idea that is popular among fans is to bring back the original division names of Adams, Patrick, Norris and Smythe.
Conference “A”
• Anaheim
• Calgary
• Colorado
• Edmonton
• Los Angeles
• Phoenix
• San Jose
• Vancouver
Conference “B”
• Chicago
• Columbus
• Dallas
• Detroit
• Minnesota
• Nashville
• St. Louis
• Winnipeg
Conference “C”
• Boston
• Buffalo
• Florida
• Montreal
• Ottawa
• Tampa Bay
• Toronto
Conference “D”
• Carolina
• New Jersey
• New York Islanders
• New York Rangers
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh
• Washington
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