NHL Franchise Boys

The NHL officially notified its teams this week about its latest realignment proposal that would see the League go from six divisions to four divisions and introduce a form of divisional playoffs instead of the current conference system. The plan needs approval from the National Hockey League Players’ Association and the League’s Board of Governors. If it passes, it would take effect for the 2013-14 regular season.

Schedule
It depends on whether you’re in a seven or eight team conference.
For the sevens (Midwest and Pacific) it looks like this:

• 32 games vs. Eastern Conference (one home, one away vs. each opponent).
• 21 games vs. other division in Western Conference (teams with the extra home game will be rotated every season).
• 29 games vs. own division (you will play one team four times instead of five).

For the eights (Atlantic and Central), it looks like this:

• 28 games vs. Western Conference (one home, one away).
• 24 games vs. other division in Eastern Conference (teams with the extra home game will be rotated every season).
• 30 games vs. own division (you’ll play two teams five times, and five teams four times).

Playoffs
It is no longer the top eight teams per conference that qualify. Instead, the top three teams in each division are automatic qualifiers. They will be seeded 1, 2 and 3. The No. 4 seeds have some potential for crossover. Those spots will be given to the next two teams with the highest point total. The team with fewer points would play the higher-seeded No. 1 within its conference. The Stanley Cup final will remain Western Conference vs. Eastern Conference. Last year, the NHL considered the idea of putting the final 4 highest-remaining seed against the lowest, with no consideration for geography. That’s gone, which is too bad, because I was looking forward to a Montreal – Boston final at some point. Oh well, I still like this proposal better than the status quo. Let’s hope it gets approved.