The new image of the NHL

The new image of the NHL is based on geographical location taking into account the time zones in which the teams are located. The league is divided into two conferences, Eastern and Western, with two divisions per conference. New divisions as follows:

  1. Division A – Pacific
  2. Division B – Central
  3. Division C – Atlantic
  4. D-Metropolitan Division

Could they have been less imaginative? With the new look of the NHL, they could have chosen division names to honor hockey greats, events or milestones from the past.

The new image of the NHL is based on geographical location taking into account the time zones in which the teams are located. The league is divided into two conferences, Eastern and Western, with two divisions per conference. The West has 14 teams with 7 teams per division. The Pacific Division teams are the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, LA Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks. The Central Division is made up of the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, and Winnipeg Jets. Western teams will play 29 games within their own division, 21 games against the other division, and a home and home series against each of the 16 Eastern Conference teams (32 games) for a total of 82 games.

The Eastern Conference has 16 teams, 8 teams per division. The Atlantic Division includes the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabers, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Metropolitan Division has the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Washington Capitals. They will play 30 games within their own division, 24 games against the other division, and 28 games (1 home and 1 away per team) against western rivals.

The top three teams in each division will make it to the playoffs. Four wild-card spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular season points and regardless of division. It will be possible for one division to send five teams to the postseason while the other sends three.

First round – The 1st place team with the highest season point total will play the wild card team with the lowest point total and the other 1st place team will play the other wild card team. Second and third place in each division will play each other.

Second round – This is where it could get a bit tricky. The winners of the first round play each other within their own division for the division championship. The problem is that it is possible for 3 winners to be from the same division.

third round – Division winners play for the conference championship. Again, these two teams could be from the same division.

Fourth Round – The conference champions play for the Stanley Cup.

The new look of the NHL is not set in stone. The playoff format is in a three-year trial period, after which it will be re-evaluated.

My idea of ​​the playoffs – The 16 teams that make the playoffs are thrown into the same group and are ranked according to their regular season point total. Ties decided in the same way as in the past. In each round, the highest seed plays the lowest seed, the second seed the second lowest, and so on. The potential drawback, of course, could be that the last two teams standing are from the same conference. This has the potential to cause disinterest among fans from the other conference.

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