Re-Alignment Official

[MCDevils]

Accoring to the Twitter-verse they're moving to a 4 division/conference system.

Looks like everyone in the Atlantic will stay put plus we'll add the Caps and Canes.

 

[MadCaptain]

YES!

bring on those jerk diver/ref biased canes!

 

[TiLoBrown]

Not a fan of it, but on the bright side..... WE WON THE MOST DIVISION TITLES!

 

[MadCaptain]

That wasnt hard to do. There's only ever been two teams in the Atlantic Division

 

[DevilishWon]

great the caps

 

[MCDevils]

I'm happy for this. Just adding the caps is more home games against good teams, and as we know, we hate the Canes.

 

[flyersfan4706]

Canes shall just be speed bumps in the Capitals+Atlantic Division Conference.

 

[nj_cup]

this is the best move...and if you live in KC probably the best news if you want to get a hockey team. i doubt they will go through all this just to have to move another team to the east next year.

but i think this makes the most sense the system needed a major overhaul and this is it. i also love the playoff format if they stick with the one they previously mentioned. divisons mean something again!

 

[MCDevils]

Fans in Quebec and Ontario are probably crying for joy ATM.

 

[nj_cup]

you know your right...i didnt notice the 2 8 team conferences are in the west. so that means the qc could get a team to make it more balanced. 1 8 team conference in each

 

[MCDevils]

you know your right...i didnt notice the 2 8 team conferences are in the west. so that means the qc could get a team to make it more balanced. 1 8 team conference in each

I think it will either be Phoenix or an expansion. If it's expansion they'll probably have another team come in at the same time to get to 32 teams. I was hearing a couple years back that a new team in Toronto or Quebec could come with a $500M posting fee just to secure the expansion team. No way the league walks from a deal like that. That's A TON of money they can use to boost struggling markets.

 

[MadCaptain]

Well it doesn't really matter since there are no longer an east or west conference.

Knowing Bettman, it probably means that there will be another round of expansions to make all conferences have 8 teams.

 

[nj_cup]

thats the last thing this leauge needs is more expansion.

every year it seems a new time files for bankruptcy adding 2 more teams isnt going to help that. just move the yotes to qc and if the islanders end up needing to be moved move them to toronto. how the panthers still are in florida is beyond me..that team hasnt been relivant since their cup run in 96.

a few more years of bad play and the canes will be in trouble again too. last thing the nhl wants to do is water down the talent level even more

 

[MCDevils]

I actually think being grouped with the Canadian teams is a gift from god for the Florida teams. I was at a Panthers Montreal game once and the crowd was like 65% Montreal fans. Retired northerners.

Honestly, expansion teams in Quebec and Ontario are sure things for a while and more teams mean there will be more money and maybe you won't see guys like Jagr and Radulov going to Russia instead. I think overall talent level is at an all time high.

 

[MCDevils]

thats the last thing this leauge needs is more expansion.

every year it seems a new time files for bankruptcy adding 2 more teams isnt going to help that. just move the yotes to qc and if the islanders end up needing to be moved move them to toronto. how the panthers still are in florida is beyond me..that team hasnt been relivant since their cup run in 96.

a few more years of bad play and the canes will be in trouble again too. last thing the nhl wants to do is water down the talent level even more

I've been to a bunch of Canes games down in Raleigh as I have family down there. Their fan base is legit. They aren't going to be a cap team, but they're ok.

 

[nj_cup]

expansion is a no no. not until the nhl sures up the troubled teams they already have. isles/panthers/yotes/devils to some extent. the nhl also has to get the salary cap worked out.

i think a large reason why the dead puck era happened had to do with the expansion the nhl went through. teams had to play with less talented players who they thus turned into defensive trap artists...there is noway a guy like jay pandolfo should ever be able to lace up skates.

 

[nj_cup]

i do have to say i think the schedule of the new format is kind of dumb. you play outside your conference each team just twice? so you play the north east conference (bruins/habs/leafs etc) only twice? thats kind of blah to me. i never understood the argument that everyone wants to see each team once (western conference teams) why is that ? say you want to see the ducks so bad at the rock...day they play there? you cant go your out of luck.


i think its great that means conference games mean even more now since the playoffs are conference based (which i love) i just dont like seeing other eastern teams 2x

 

[TiLoBrown]

Are the Isles in trouble? I know they need an arena, but I dont think they're looking a buyer

 

[SLY]

I really hope the Islanders stay in LI.

 

[TiLoBrown]

I do too, sucks Wang is getting fucked over the way he is.