So we start with the new look western conference. First Division A will have in it the following teams: Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and the Edmonton Oilers. Now with Division B it will have in it the following teams: Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Perdators, St. Louis Blues, and the Winnipeg Jets.
The Eastern Conference has taken on a whole new look as well, with the addition of two brand new clubs and some divisional shake ups. So lets start off with Division C, which will consist of the following teams: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Finally there is Division D, which will consist of the following teams: Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Washington Capitals.
So that is what the new divisions will look like. With the new alignments in the league, that will mean new schedule breakdown and new playoff format. First here is how the schedule is going to play out. Western Conference has 7-team divisions. Within the division, 29 games will be played 5 games vs. five teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. two teams, 2 Home/3 Away vs. three teams) AND 4 games vs. one team (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis. Now when it comes to playing teams in Conference outside the division it will look like this: 21 games * 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. three teams). Teams rotated on a yearly basis. Finally when it comes to playing Eastern Conference teams it will look like this: 32 games * 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away) (Exception: one team from each division plays one less game inside Division and one more game inside Conference outside Division).
So that is how things play out in the West. As for the Eastern Conference, where there are 8-team divisions, it looks a bit like this. When you play teams from you're Division it goes as follows: 30 games * 5 games vs. two teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. one team, 2 Home/3 Away vs. one team) AND 4 games vs. five teams (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis. When you play the teams in the East that aren't in your division it breaks down like this: 24 games * 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. four teams). Teams rotated on a yearly basis. Finally when you play a team from the Western Conference it looks like this: 28 games * 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away).
So there is how the schedule breaks down. The playoff formatting will be a little easier to understand. The top three teams in each division will make-up the first 12 teams in the playoffs. The remaining four 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, then, for one division to send five teams to the postseason while the other sends three. The seeding of the wild-card teams within each divisional playoff will be determined on the basis of regular-season points. The division winner with the most points in the conference will be matched against the wild-card team with the lowest number of points; the division winner with the second-most points in the conference will play the wild-card team with the second fewest points. The teams finishing second and third in each division will play in the first round of the playoffs. The winners of each series will play for the divisional championship. The two divisional champions in each conference will then play in the conference finals to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
That's how things will look in the NHL next season with re-alignment. One of the biggest disappointments expressed over the realignment is the loss of one of hockey's biggest rivalry's in the Blackhawks and Red Wings. Yet in retrospect it kickstarts a renewal of old rivalry's between Detroit and Montreal and Detroit and Toronto. Plus with having teams clustered into divisions based on geographical location, it saves on wear and tear on teams due to travel during a long season. Most players get tired both mentally and physically during the course of a hockey season. By having the divisions now set up as they are it will make things easier on the players and they won't have to travel as much. That could save the careers of some players and cut down on the long grind of travel.
It may not look like it right now but in the long run it will benafit the league and the players!
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