Welcome to Conference C: A first look at the NHL's realignment plan

by Clark J Brooks on Dec 6, 2011 11:50 AM EST in National Hockey League

This is what the NHL will look like in 2012-13...from space! (photo by Cassie McClellan)

The NHL's Board of Governors on Monday approved a new realignment plan that will eliminate the current two conference, six division format in favor of four regional "conferences" beginning with the 2012-13 season.

Realignment became necessary after the Atlanta Thrashers franchise of the current Southeast Division was sold and moved to Winnipeg prior to this season. The Board voted in favor of this plan over one that would have maintained the current structure while moving Winnipeg to the Western Conference and moving either the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings or Nashville Predators to the Eastern Conference.

Two of the four as-yet-unnamed conferences will consist of seven teams while the other two will have eight teams. The Tampa Bay Lightning are assigned to what is currently known as Conference C along with the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The new alignment will result in a schedule that will have all teams play each other at least twice. Conference champions along with the second, third and fourth place finishers within each conference will advance to the postseason playoffs.

How does all of this directly affect the Tampa Bay Lightning? Read on...

THE LIGHTNING'S NEW CONFERENCE

No more Carolina Hurricanes or Washington Capitals. A quick glance at the map tells us that the terms "regional" and "geographic" refer to east and west and don't really take north and south into consideration. Obviously, this is because of time zones and how that affects television coverage.

WHO'S IN THE OTHER CONFERENCES?

Conference A: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks

Conference B: Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg.

Conference D: Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

THE BALANCED SCHEDULE

As members of one of the seven-team conferences, the Lightning will play 36 of their 82 games within the conference. That means they'll see each conference opponent six times, three home and three away. The remaining 46 games will be played against the other 23 teams in the league, once at home and once away each.

HOW WILL THE PLAYOFFS WORK?

That has yet to be completely determined, as there is ongoing discussion about how teams will be seeded in the semi-finals round but we know that the top four finishers in each conference will make the playoffs and that the first two rounds will be played within the conferences. #1 will play #4 and #3 will play #2 in the opening round. The winners meet in the second round with a champion from each conference emerging and advancing to the semi-finals. A final decison on how teams are slotted at that point isn't expected until the league meets again in March.

DOES THIS REALIGNMENT ALTER THE LEAGUE'S COMPETITIVE BALANCE?

Well, if this structure were applied to this season as it's played out so far, this is what the standings would look like right now:

CONFERENCE A
Vancouver	15	10	1	31
Phoenix	14	9	3	31
Los Angeles	13	9	4	30
San Jose	14	8	1	29
Edmonton	13	11	3	29
Colorado	13	13	1	27
Calgary	11	13	2	24
Anaheim	7	14	5	19
CONFERENCE B
Minnesota	17	7	3	37
Chicago	16	8	4	36
Detroit	16	8	1	33
Dallas	15	10	1	31
St. Louis	14	9	3	31
Nashville	12	10	4	28
Winnipeg	11	11	4	26
Columbus	7	16	3	17
CONFERENCE C
Boston	17	7	1	35
Florida	15	8	4	34
Toronto	15	10	2	32
Buffalo	14	11	1	29
Ottawa	13	11	3	29
Montreal	11	11	5	27
TAMPA BAY	11	13	2	24
CONFERENCE D
Pittsburgh	16	8	4	36
Rangers	15	6	3	33
Philadelphia	15	7	3	33
Washington	13	12	1	27
New Jersey	12	12	1	25
Islanders	8	11	5	21
Carolina	8	16	4	20

The most dramatic disparity would probably be out west. Conference A's leader, the Canucks, are currently a #5 seed while Conference B has the top four seeds, including all three current Western Conference division leaders. As a result, St. Louis (slotted #6 right now) would be out of the running. As far as the Lightning are concerned, they're currently five points out of the playoffs in either scenario.

Let us know what you think about the realignment plan, how it affects the Lightning and the NHL as a whole, in the comments below.

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Comments

FWIW

we would’ve been tied for first in conference C last year, but our series with the Bruins would’ve been a second round matchup, while the Caps or Pens got a free pass to the third.

This year, we’re 2-3 against division foes, with two wins over Buffalo and losses to Toronto, Ottawa, and Boston.

I imagine the chances of making the playoffs should be similar under this new model, but we’re going to have to start winning either way

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 11:57 AM EST reply actions

Those are excellent insights

I didn’t look at the recent history and how this would have affected it.

I’ll admit to not following a lot of the talk about this before it happened because I figured it would all be just speculation, but does anybody have a guess as to why they didn’t put Carolina in Conference C and keep Boston with the Rangers? The conspiracy nerd in me thinks it’s because the league wants those two teams to meet in the semifinals and not before (but if that’s the case, why wouldn’t they split up Montreal and Toronto and/or Chicago and Detroit?), but I sleep better when my inner conspiracy nerd is wrong.

by Clark J Brooks on Dec 6, 2011 12:17 PM EST up reply actions

Boston's not with the Rangers now

and your proposed move would split up Boston and Montreal, which would never happen in a million years.

I do think sending the two NYC to the Northeast (Boston with the Rangers) and keeping the Bolts and Panthers with WAS, CAR, PHI, PIT, NJD would’ve been nice, but you split up the Rangers and Flyers, and that’s a non-starter politically. No matter how you (logically) slice it, there’s an Atlantic division rivalry that gets crushed. And the league cares about those rivalries (a bit too much, imo)

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 12:33 PM EST up reply actions

“You split up Rangers-Flyers, adn that’s a non-starter”

When did people start giving a shit about Rangers-Flyeurs outside the Tri-state area?

Really, I could care. It’s not a historic rivalry, it’s a turf war with little relevance outside the markets The “Patrick” Division feels like it has to war with those teams at all costs, screw the rest of the league.

Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.

by John Fontana on Dec 6, 2011 12:40 PM EST up reply actions

you remember the hissy fit that got thrown when they tried to split up the Flyers and Pens?

which nobody cares about outside Pennsylvania? Same thing

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 1:07 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, I remember. I also remember the hissy fit they threw at my re-alignment plan because it broke up the Turf War Division.

I maintain I could give a shit and that goes for the rest of the league. There are true rivalries out thre, but they ain’t the tri-state area turf wars that only excite the natives and the media.

Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.

by John Fontana on Dec 6, 2011 1:17 PM EST up reply actions

I'm not disagreeing with you here

I’m just saying that the NHL political reality is that the Turf War Division (plus the Wings) have the power. They weren’t getting split up, no matter how much sense it made

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 1:24 PM EST up reply actions

It was the Penguins-Flyers rivalry that was the biggest issue – and the fact that Jersey didn’t want to be cut out of a conference with the Rangers & Islanders.

"You don't have enough talent to win on talent alone." -Herb Brooks

Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.

by Cassie McClellan on Dec 6, 2011 12:45 PM EST up reply actions

The NHL set the stage to get rid of both Florida teams the first chance they get.

Following the Lightning from Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.
Let's. Go. BOLTS!

by Rafael Amarante on Dec 6, 2011 12:36 PM EST reply actions

Get rid of? By having them square off in the same division as their marquee teams?

Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.

by John Fontana on Dec 6, 2011 12:41 PM EST up reply actions

Yes.

The realignment Dale Tallon thinks will help his franchise by increasing ticket sales will get the Panthers in Quebec City very fast. Then, the Bolts will be all alone in the South playing in a division with 6 northern teams. Guess what happens next.
The Bolts can’t affort any bad seasons anymore, they play for survival from here on.

Following the Lightning from Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.
Let's. Go. BOLTS!

by Rafael Amarante on Dec 6, 2011 12:52 PM EST up reply actions

my pessimistic side is also thinking along these lines

we’re put at a competitive disadvantage to the rest of the division, and the first sign of failure will spark thoughts of “they’re all isolated down there in Florida. Wouldn’t they fit much better in Quebec City or Hamilton? Nobody down there cares anyways”

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 1:09 PM EST up reply actions

And what makes it worst is that the Panthers voted for and publicly supported this realignment.

Following the Lightning from Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.
Let's. Go. BOLTS!

by Rafael Amarante on Dec 6, 2011 1:16 PM EST up reply actions

I say that when Ottawa starts losing, we should move them to New Orleans

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 1:25 PM EST up reply actions

I could see that becoming a bizarro Montreal world.

"You don't have enough talent to win on talent alone." -Herb Brooks

Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.

by Cassie McClellan on Dec 6, 2011 1:31 PM EST up reply actions

haha, yep

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 1:33 PM EST up reply actions

No, no, no. That’s not it at all. The two western conferences have eight teams each, and the two eastern conferences have seven teams each. If anything, they’re preparing for a two-team expansion. It’s just going to depend on what happens with Phoenix and a couple of other teams to see where those expansion will go.

"You don't have enough talent to win on talent alone." -Herb Brooks

Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.

by Cassie McClellan on Dec 6, 2011 1:30 PM EST up reply actions

I agree here….if anyone is moving to Quebec and making our conference 8 teams, it’s Phoenix…not Florida relocating.

Lightning Hockey Blog, Benched Whale, Raw Charge

by Dani Toth on Dec 6, 2011 3:26 PM EST up reply actions

Or the Islanders

They can’t get a new arena, and the one they have is empty.

"I'd run over my mother to win the Super Bowl." - Russ Grimm

by bucnut1 on Dec 7, 2011 11:55 PM EST up reply actions

I don’t foresee the NHL adding two additional teams. I think they are more likely expecting Phoenix to end up in Hartford or Quebec which would then have them back in one of the two Eastern “Conference” Conferences.

by xaryss on Dec 6, 2011 5:02 PM EST up reply actions

But then you still have two conferences with 8 and two with 7. It doesn’t really make it any better.

R.I.P. Belak, Rypien, Boogaard, Lokomotiv.
Part Predator, part Lightning.
"Breathe deep. Think of smiley puppies"--@FakeLindback

by CAustin on Dec 6, 2011 5:46 PM EST up reply actions

One thing I will say:

I vehemently oppose a crossover that allows a 5th place team to snipe a playoff spot from a 4th place team from another division. Consider this scenario (hopefully contrary to fact):

The Devils, in 5th place in the Atlantic, take 30+ points from the Islanders and Hurricanes, who continue to be bad, and snag a game or two from division-leading Pittsburgh.

The Sabres, in 4th place in the Northeast, get swept by a Boston team that gets hot and stays that way, but cannot dominate the bottom three of Tampa, Montreal, and Ottawa quite like their Atlantic brethren crush the Canes and Isles.

So we end up with the Devils sitting in 5th on 96 points and the Sabres in 4th on 95, and the crossover fans say the Devils should take Buffalo’s spot? I say ridiculous. The schedules are completely non-comparable, and so are the point totals.

There is only one way in which I could support a crossover rule: a conditional best of three (or even one game) playoff between a 5th place team and another division’s 4th place team, with the 4th place team having home ice, going into effect only when this sort of scenario unfolds.

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 2:47 PM EST reply actions

I don't think that's an option

Everything the league is putting out makes it look pretty straightforward: top four teams in each conference. One of the things I like best about this plan is that it takes steps to restore some value to the regular season in that placing high in the ~~division~~ conference is going to be the focus.

by Clark J Brooks on Dec 6, 2011 2:59 PM EST up reply actions

I like it too

which is why I’m opposed to all this rabblerabblecrossoverrabblerabble that’s being floated around. It won’t be in place next year, but some day, some good 5th place team will be left out and a crap 4th place team will get in and everybody will flip out

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 3:06 PM EST up reply actions

Applying this format to the current standings is a bit disingenuous, as it doesn’t take into acount the balanced schedule. It’s entirely possible that after butting heads within their own conference much more frequently that a fifth place team might not have enough points to make a squawk about it. Western teams won’t be able to fatten up on lesser competition from the East like they have in the past.

by Clark J Brooks on Dec 6, 2011 3:21 PM EST up reply actions

that's why I didn't apply it to the current standings

I came up with a hypothetical, but plausible, case. It probably won’t happen every year, but it’ll happen, and people will freak out about it. Basically all it takes is a division with parity in the top five and a couple of really, really bad teams. Next year’s Atlantic could be just that, but even if it isn’t, something will be.

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 3:31 PM EST up reply actions

and when I say we're going to have some rabble-rousing

it’s already started, with an article at Backhand Shelf proposing pretty much the same idea that I want to vehemently argue against.

If I cared more about my Carolina side, I'd call myself "Tar Volon," and that'd be awesome.
Bolts, Canes, Preds (now in different conferences!). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity
Rocky Top Talk

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 4:43 PM EST up reply actions

For those on Facebook

I put a poll up, a pretty simple one at that, about approval or disapproval of the realignment:

https://www.facebook.com/questions/10150590406332656/?qa_ref=ssp

Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.

by John Fontana on Dec 6, 2011 3:05 PM EST reply actions

Vinik did not reveal his vote, but said

Travel is a definite minus.

I think we can read into that. We’d better have the fewest one game trips in the league every year to balance this out.

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 3:45 PM EST reply actions

which might actually happen, apparently

what's up with this "could care" phrase of yours

is it meant to be shorthand for “couldn’t care less,” or something more like “could care, but don’t.”

Either way, I’m going to be really pissed off if our division road games aren’t all part of broad Northeast swings. Vinik needs to do whatever he can to make that happen. Hold them to something like that whole Ilitch promise that got all this started.

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 4:11 PM EST up reply actions

“Could care, but don’t”.

I’m in a mood today, sorry. The swearing above — attached to “I” — was more an attempt to make my own opinion seem like it’s more relevant than it is.

Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.

by John Fontana on Dec 6, 2011 5:01 PM EST up reply actions

But Vinik doesn’t have the pull that Mike Ilitch has

Lightning Hockey Blog, Benched Whale, Raw Charge

by Dani Toth on Dec 6, 2011 6:00 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe not, but he’s a stable owner of a franchise in a market that the commissioner wants to succeed. I can’t see any reason for the league to not treat him right.

by Clark J Brooks on Dec 6, 2011 6:15 PM EST up reply actions

right, but what Clark said

there’s also no reason for the league to dump on him if he’s making a reasonable request (which he is).

by Incipient_Senescence on Dec 6, 2011 10:45 PM EST up reply actions

Pretty pissed off

Would have made more sense for WAS-CAR or NYR-NYI or really anything else to be in C and Florida and us to be in D.

Instead we were screwed over for Cindy and Ovechkin and the whiny Flyers. Pardon my French:

F*ck them. I’m tired of the league ignoring the interests of 25 times for the interests of 5.

"I'm a guy who works very hard and if I want something bad enough, I'm going to do anything possible to get it." Steven Stamkos

I run a TBL/NHL blog, Guy Boucher's Scar. Inspired to blog by the great folks at SBN's TBL blog, Raw Charge.
My Twitter- follow for NHL updates

by SnipeShot on Dec 6, 2011 7:06 PM EST reply actions

*teams

"I'm a guy who works very hard and if I want something bad enough, I'm going to do anything possible to get it." Steven Stamkos

I run a TBL/NHL blog, Guy Boucher's Scar. Inspired to blog by the great folks at SBN's TBL blog, Raw Charge.
My Twitter- follow for NHL updates

by SnipeShot on Dec 6, 2011 7:07 PM EST up reply actions

How are they going to get all that blue paint? How are they going to get the blue dye in the water to stay where the map says?

:-)

"The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect"
- Smith in Orwell's 1984

by MTBoltFan on Dec 7, 2011 8:57 AM EST reply actions

lol!

R.I.P. Belak, Rypien, Boogaard, Lokomotiv.
Part Predator, part Lightning.
"Breathe deep. Think of smiley puppies"--@FakeLindback

by CAustin on Dec 7, 2011 11:05 AM EST up reply actions

All they'd have to do to reduce travel is swap the Rangers and Islanders with Tampa Bay and Florida.

Chances are, though, that Lou Lamoriello doesn’t want the New Jersey – New York rivalry split. They’re the Devils, they’re capable of making new rivalries where none previously existed.

Allowing the Lightning and Panthers to set up a rivalry with the nearby Hurricanes? Why would anyone ever want that?

Let's Go Blues!
Support your local NAHL team. Seriously.

by Paperwork Ninja on Dec 7, 2011 10:49 AM EST reply actions

As a fellow Blues fan, I am glad STL-DET and STL-CHI rivalries are intact—I’d hate to have to learn to tolerate those teams. :-)

"The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect"
- Smith in Orwell's 1984

by MTBoltFan on Dec 7, 2011 10:58 AM EST up reply actions

It occurred to me this morning

that a few months ago the NHL Fan Panel did a survey about rivalries in the NHL. I only just now connected that with realignment, but it makes sense that they did a little (granted, very little) market research to stack their decks with. We never get to see the results of these surveys they send us, and now I really want to see how that particular one turned out.

R.I.P. Belak, Rypien, Boogaard, Lokomotiv.
Part Predator, part Lightning.
"Breathe deep. Think of smiley puppies"--@FakeLindback

by CAustin on Dec 7, 2011 11:09 AM EST reply actions

Sigh. Can't win 'em all.

Of course… which benefits one of my teams, royally screws another. Something tells me we haven’t heard the end of this and their will be more changes to down the road, let’s just hope they don’t take 30 years to correct it (like the Wings)

Even from space… they can see, it doesn’t make much sense for the Florida teams. As the old one didn’t make sense for the Eastern West teams.

"WINGnut--BOLThead"
Let's GO..Wings, Tigers, Lions, Wolverines (oh my!) & Bolts!!!! (RIP Cory Smoot aka Flattus Maximus of GWAR)

by Let's JOE WINGS-BOLTS on Dec 7, 2011 11:56 AM EST reply actions