In my previous post, I mentioned that Winnipeg may spend one year playing in the Southeast Division. The main reason for that idea stems from the Phoenix Coyotes. As of right now, the league-owned Coyotes are staying in Glendale. However their current deal is for a single year and the league still has not found an owner that wants to keep them in the desert. So a major realignment change now could easily be a waste of time.
If the NHL is unable to unload the Coyotes by the end of next season, they may finally throw in the towel and allow the team to move. What separates this move from the current Atlanta-to-Winnipeg deal is the lack of committed owners with NHL-ready facilities. True North has the luxury of having a fairly new, NHL compatible arena at their disposal; the Manitoba Moose of the AHL currently call the MTS Centre home. This has made the rapid progress on the Thrashers deal possible. In order for a deal to get pushed through as quickly next spring, the team will need an owner with a similar situation.
Here is a brief rundown of the potential and rumored expansion cities (in no particular order):
1. Quebec City: This former NHL market is eager to get top-flight hockey back. Unfortunately the city lacks a suitable NHL arena. Also working against the city are the lack of a solid ownership group, repeated failures with minor league teams, and its relatively small population. However, the strong potential for resumed rivalries with the other Canadian franchises works in the city's favor. The return to Winnipeg might indicate a willingness to reconsider Quebec as well.
2. Hamilton: This city in southern Ontario would be an immediate rival with Toronto and Buffalo due to its proximity alone. Unlike many others on this list, Hamilton boasts an NHL-ready arena and strong potential owners. How strong? The Penguins and Predators came thiiiiiiis close to relocating to Hamilton within the past decade and the Coyotes were a bankruptcy hearing away from arriving at Copps Coliseum.
3. Seattle: Seattle is always a fan favorite for relocation and expansion. Its proximity to Vanouver and its junior hockey history make Seattle seem like a logical choice. Unfortunately the departure of the Super Sonics indicates that a suitable professional arena simply does not exist. If the city was unwilling to give their long time NBA team a new home, it would be foolish to think they would do so for an NHL team. The city does have strong potential ownership groups, however.
4. Portland: The Rose City has a lot of the same positives as Seattle. It also has an NHL-ready facility, The Rose Garden Arena, home of the Trail Blazers. It would be a smaller market than Seattle, but the professional sports landscape is much less crowded.
5. Las Vegas: Vegas is a rapidly growing metro with a plethora of potential owners salivating at the cahnce to bring major league sports to Sin City. There is now a large scale stadium proposal on the table designed to bring in an NHL team (among other things). Perhaps the easiest of all moves for the Coyotes, this one is held back by the time it will take to actually build the arena.
6. San Anotnio: San Antonio has both an NHL-ready facility (At&T Center) and a likely ownership group (Spurs Sports & Entertainment). The current AHL team, the Rampage, share the facility (and color scheme) with the NBA's Spurs. Coincidentally, the Rampage are the Coyotes' long time minor league affiliate.
7. Houston: Believe it or not, Houston is a booming hockey town. The current Aeros have been around since 1994. The WHA fielded a team in the 1970s until that league merged with the NHL. The Toyota Center is an NHL-ready facility and is shared by the Rockets of the NBA. With several high end millionaires in the metro, a potential owner could easily be found.
8. Kansas City: The Sprint Center opened in 2007 with the NHL in mind. Like Hamilton, KC almost landed the Predators and Penguins. The Islanders have used relocation to KC as a threat several times. All that is missing from this scenario is a potential owner. As a side note, the Hornets and Kings of the NBA are considering relocating to KC. Incidentally, the Kings played in KC from 1972 to 1985.
So how would my proposed realignment look should the Coyotes move to one of the eight cities proposed above? The highlighted teams represent changes to my original proposal.
1. Vegas, Seattle, or Portland: Things are simple: there would be no changes as all three are already in the Pacific Time Zone.
Eastern Conference
Northeastern: Montreal, Boston, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, New Jersey
Colonial: Columbus, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Carolina
Great Lakes: Detroit, Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Ottawa
Western Conference
Southern: Florida, Tampa Bay, Nashville, Dallas, St. Louis
Pacific: LA, San Jose, Anaheim, Phoenix, Vancouver
Prairies: Colorado, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota
2. Quebec City: It's not a pretty scenario as some rivalries will be sacrificed and some travel just got crappier. Geography pushes a team out of the Northeastern Division; I chose the Devils as they are the southernmost. This creates a ripple effect which causes Carolina to move to the Southern Division and St. Louis to the Prairies, as those are the most logical moves without too much disruption. Colorado moves to the Pacific in place of the Coyotes. All of my original requirements are still met.
Eastern Conference
Northeastern: Montreal, Boston, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, Quebec
Colonial: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Columbus, New Jersey
Great Lakes: Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, Buffalo, Ottawa
Western Conference
Southern: Florida, Tampa Bay, Nashville, Dallas, Carolina
Pacific: LA, San Jose, Anaheim, Vancouver, Colorado
Prairies: Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, St. Louis
3. Hamilton: Without a doubt, Hamilton belongs in the Great Lakes Division with their natural rivals Toronto and Buffalo. Strong potential rivalries with Detroit and Ottawa are too great to pass up. Unfortunately the Redwings-Blackhawks rivalry has to be sacrificed for this to work. Chicago moves to the Prairies Division to build a rivalry with Minnesota; considering their rivalries in other sports, this could be a great move. Once again Colorado takes the Coyotes' spot in the Pacific.
Eastern Conference
Northeastern: Montreal, Boston, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, New Jersey
Colonial: Columbus, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Carolina
Great Lakes: Detroit, Toronto, Buffalo, Ottawa, Hamilton
Western Conference
Southern: Florida, Tampa Bay, Nashville, Dallas, St. Louis
Pacific: LA, San Jose, Anaheim, Phoenix, Vancouver, Colorado
Prairies: Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Chicago
4. San Antonio or Houston: This one is a no-brainer - San Antonio/Houston would join Dallas in the Southern Division. A Texas rivalry is always a good thing and it evens things out with the Florida teams. Nashville is still southern enough to carry over while St. Louis moves to the Prairies. Once again Colorado takes the Coyotes' spot in the Pacific.
Eastern Conference
Northeastern: Montreal, Boston, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, New Jersey
Colonial: Columbus, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Carolina
Great Lakes: Detroit, Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Ottawa
Western Conference
Southern: Florida, Tampa Bay, Nashville, Dallas, SA/Houston
Pacific: LA, San Jose, Anaheim, Phoenix, Vancouver, Colorado
Prairies: Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, St. Louis
5. Kansas City: On the surface, I only moved Colorado to take the Coyotes' spot in the Pacific and put KC in the Prairies. However, I worked through several scenarios to make this work. Ideally, KC would be in a division with St. Louis at the very least. Unfortunately I could not find a way to do this without violating my time zone requirement or making travel distances a complete nightmare. At least the traditional rivalries remain in place. Under different conditions (say two more expansion teams), I could manipulate things into more ideal conference structures.
Pacific Time Zone.Eastern Conference
Northeastern: Montreal, Boston, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, New Jersey
Colonial: Columbus, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Carolina
Great Lakes: Detroit, Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Ottawa
Western Conference
Southern: Florida, Tampa Bay, Nashville, Dallas, St. Louis
Pacific: LA, San Jose, Anaheim, Phoenix, Vancouver, Colorado
Prairies: Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Kansas City
*As a bonus, here is a look at what a 32 team NHL could look like using a couple of the potential relocation markets noted above. In this exercise teams will be broken into two conferences of two divisions (with subdivisions separated to indicate how four divisions could look). My time zone and geography criteria will still apply as much as possible. Red indicates expansion/relocation cities.
Eastern Conference
Colonial: Philadelphia, Washington, Carolina, New Jersey | Montreal, Boston, NY Rangers, NY Islanders
Great Lakes: Detroit, Columbus, Chicago, Pittsburgh | Toronto, Buffalo, Ottawa, Hamilton
Western Conference
American: Winnipeg, Kansas City, St. Louis, Minnesota | Nashville, Dallas, Houston, Florida, Tampa Bay
Frontier: LA, San Jose, Anaheim, Vancouver | Colorado, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg.
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Friday, May 20, 2011
Thrashers to Winnpieg - NHL Realignment
With multiple sources now reporting that the deal that will send the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg is all but complete, the NHL will need some serious realignment. The Thrashers currently play in the Southeast Division alongside Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina, and Washington DC. Winnipeg is just northwest of Minneapolis.
Rumors persist that next season will see no realignment due to the lateness of the move; team relocations are typically finalized in January. Instead, the Winnipeg team may play in the Southeast for a year before the league changes things up in time for the 2012-13 season. As awkward as this would be for both travel and the TV schedule, it would allow the league plenty of time to make a calculated and rational realignment decision.
Of course the NHL wants to minimize disruption as much as possible, meaning that only a couple of teams will be affected by the realignment. As of right now, the three leading candidates to take Atlanta's place in the East all come from the Central Division: Detroit, Columbus, and Nashville. Detroit is the oldest of the group and seeks to resume their old rivalry with Toronto. However, this would diminish their rekindled rivalry with Chicago and strong rivalry with St. Louis. The Redwings are also further north than a good chunk of the Atlantic Division teams. Columbus is the eastern most team in the Western Conference. The Blue Jackets do not have any strong rivalries and are one of the youngest teams in the league. Although they are closer to Pittsburgh than anyone else and would appreciate that rivalry, the Jackets are further south than the Atlantic teams. Nashville is a nice geographical fit for the Southeast. Coincidentally, the Predators are the closest team to the Thrashers, and they will still be among the closest to the Hurricanes and Florida teams. Both Detroit and Columbus are in the Eastern Time Zone; Nashville is in the Central Time Zone. Regardless of which team it is, the hole in the Southeast Division will most likely be plugged by a team from the Central Division.
So now we have another hole to fill. Winnipeg could simply slide into the Central, but they are further west than Minnesota and almost due north of Dallas. Minnesota currently plays in the Northwest Division and Dallas plays in the Pacific Division. Given that Minnesota is the closest team to Winnipeg, it makes sense to keep them together, which means that Winnipeg would join Minnesota in the Northwest. Dallas would move to the Central. This scenario would require a team to move from the Northwest to the Pacific. One one hand, Colorado would make sense because of their proximity to Phoenix and the California teams. On the other hand, Vancouver makes sense because Winnipeg would be the fourth Canadian team in the Northwest. I think that the NHL will rely on geography and Colorado will take Dallas' spot in the Pacific.
I think the NHL realignment will look something like this:
Eastern Conference
Northeast: Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston
Atlantic: New York Rangers, NY Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Southeast: DC, Florida, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Columbus
Western Conference
Central: Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas
Northwest: Minnesota, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver
Pacific: San Jose, LA, Anaheim, Phoenix, Colorado
However, I think that this is a prime opportunity to really change things up. Stronger divisions and rivalries can arise. Better TV schedules can be made (a major argument coming out of Detroit and Columbus). Fans may be able to travel to more away games in the Western Conference.
The guidelines I am using are as follows: the league will maintain two conferences with three divisions each, both will be geographically based (ie no Original Six conference), the conferences will carry an equal number of teams, historical/natural rivalries will be preserved as much as possible, and no division can span more than two time zones. However, division names can be changed. I am also not counting on expansion or retraction.
Eastern Conference
Northeastern: Montreal, Boston, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, New Jersey
Colonial: Columbus, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Carolina
Great Lakes: Detroit, Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Ottawa
Western Conference
Southern: Florida, Tampa Bay, Nashville, Dallas, St. Louis
Pacific: LA, San Jose, Anaheim, Phoenix, Vancouver
Prairies: Colorado, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota
While it is not perfect, I think that this would provide for better TV schedules and create stronger rivalries within the divisions themselves. The Eastern Conference came out fairly well rounded and looks to be considerably dominant. Because so many teams are located so closely together, TV times are less of a concern than they are in the West. Travel distances are also less of an issue. Every team is located in the Eastern Time Zone except Chicago.
Detroit moves away from the Western Conference travel schedule and rekindle their rivalry with Toronto while also maintaining the Wings' rivalry with Chicago. Though the Canadians lose their extensive series with the Maple Leafs, they retain their rivalry with the Bruins and add fellow Original Six member New York Rangers. Pittsburgh maintains its rivalry with Philadelphia while picking up nearby Columbus and adding more games against Washington. Philadelphia and Washington should pick up intensity as well, given their proximity. Columbus and Carolina benefit from the popularity and strength of their new opponents.
Keeping Minnesota and Winnipeg together makes sense considering that they are closer to each other than to anybody else; they are also the only remaining Central Time Zone teams. Calgary and Edmonton are also closely tied. The Alberta teams seem to fit best with Winnipeg and Minnesota, which establishes a Central and Mountain Time Zone. Unfortunately this creates an issue with the division's fifth team. Despite Colorado being further from all of the teams than Vancouver is from the Alberta pair, the Avalanche's location in the Mountain Time Zone pushed them into this group.
By default, Vancouver joins the Pacific, which keeps the entire division in one time zone for most of the year (stupid Arizona!). The Canucks join all three California teams in a division rounded out by the Coyotes. Other than Vancouver, this division is fairly compact compared to the rest of the Western Conference and should continue to build on current rivalries.
Of course this whole thing could be blown to hell if the Coyotes or Islanders end up moving after next season...
There are several different proposals floating around right now. And I invite you to post yours below, whether directly or as a post to your blog. I will definitely check them out and possibly comment in return.
Rumors persist that next season will see no realignment due to the lateness of the move; team relocations are typically finalized in January. Instead, the Winnipeg team may play in the Southeast for a year before the league changes things up in time for the 2012-13 season. As awkward as this would be for both travel and the TV schedule, it would allow the league plenty of time to make a calculated and rational realignment decision.
Of course the NHL wants to minimize disruption as much as possible, meaning that only a couple of teams will be affected by the realignment. As of right now, the three leading candidates to take Atlanta's place in the East all come from the Central Division: Detroit, Columbus, and Nashville. Detroit is the oldest of the group and seeks to resume their old rivalry with Toronto. However, this would diminish their rekindled rivalry with Chicago and strong rivalry with St. Louis. The Redwings are also further north than a good chunk of the Atlantic Division teams. Columbus is the eastern most team in the Western Conference. The Blue Jackets do not have any strong rivalries and are one of the youngest teams in the league. Although they are closer to Pittsburgh than anyone else and would appreciate that rivalry, the Jackets are further south than the Atlantic teams. Nashville is a nice geographical fit for the Southeast. Coincidentally, the Predators are the closest team to the Thrashers, and they will still be among the closest to the Hurricanes and Florida teams. Both Detroit and Columbus are in the Eastern Time Zone; Nashville is in the Central Time Zone. Regardless of which team it is, the hole in the Southeast Division will most likely be plugged by a team from the Central Division.
So now we have another hole to fill. Winnipeg could simply slide into the Central, but they are further west than Minnesota and almost due north of Dallas. Minnesota currently plays in the Northwest Division and Dallas plays in the Pacific Division. Given that Minnesota is the closest team to Winnipeg, it makes sense to keep them together, which means that Winnipeg would join Minnesota in the Northwest. Dallas would move to the Central. This scenario would require a team to move from the Northwest to the Pacific. One one hand, Colorado would make sense because of their proximity to Phoenix and the California teams. On the other hand, Vancouver makes sense because Winnipeg would be the fourth Canadian team in the Northwest. I think that the NHL will rely on geography and Colorado will take Dallas' spot in the Pacific.
I think the NHL realignment will look something like this:
Eastern Conference
Northeast: Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston
Atlantic: New York Rangers, NY Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Southeast: DC, Florida, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Columbus
Western Conference
Central: Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas
Northwest: Minnesota, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver
Pacific: San Jose, LA, Anaheim, Phoenix, Colorado
However, I think that this is a prime opportunity to really change things up. Stronger divisions and rivalries can arise. Better TV schedules can be made (a major argument coming out of Detroit and Columbus). Fans may be able to travel to more away games in the Western Conference.
The guidelines I am using are as follows: the league will maintain two conferences with three divisions each, both will be geographically based (ie no Original Six conference), the conferences will carry an equal number of teams, historical/natural rivalries will be preserved as much as possible, and no division can span more than two time zones. However, division names can be changed. I am also not counting on expansion or retraction.
Eastern Conference
Northeastern: Montreal, Boston, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, New Jersey
Colonial: Columbus, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Carolina
Great Lakes: Detroit, Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Ottawa
Western Conference
Southern: Florida, Tampa Bay, Nashville, Dallas, St. Louis
Pacific: LA, San Jose, Anaheim, Phoenix, Vancouver
Prairies: Colorado, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota
While it is not perfect, I think that this would provide for better TV schedules and create stronger rivalries within the divisions themselves. The Eastern Conference came out fairly well rounded and looks to be considerably dominant. Because so many teams are located so closely together, TV times are less of a concern than they are in the West. Travel distances are also less of an issue. Every team is located in the Eastern Time Zone except Chicago.
Detroit moves away from the Western Conference travel schedule and rekindle their rivalry with Toronto while also maintaining the Wings' rivalry with Chicago. Though the Canadians lose their extensive series with the Maple Leafs, they retain their rivalry with the Bruins and add fellow Original Six member New York Rangers. Pittsburgh maintains its rivalry with Philadelphia while picking up nearby Columbus and adding more games against Washington. Philadelphia and Washington should pick up intensity as well, given their proximity. Columbus and Carolina benefit from the popularity and strength of their new opponents.
Keeping Minnesota and Winnipeg together makes sense considering that they are closer to each other than to anybody else; they are also the only remaining Central Time Zone teams. Calgary and Edmonton are also closely tied. The Alberta teams seem to fit best with Winnipeg and Minnesota, which establishes a Central and Mountain Time Zone. Unfortunately this creates an issue with the division's fifth team. Despite Colorado being further from all of the teams than Vancouver is from the Alberta pair, the Avalanche's location in the Mountain Time Zone pushed them into this group.
By default, Vancouver joins the Pacific, which keeps the entire division in one time zone for most of the year (stupid Arizona!). The Canucks join all three California teams in a division rounded out by the Coyotes. Other than Vancouver, this division is fairly compact compared to the rest of the Western Conference and should continue to build on current rivalries.
Of course this whole thing could be blown to hell if the Coyotes or Islanders end up moving after next season...
There are several different proposals floating around right now. And I invite you to post yours below, whether directly or as a post to your blog. I will definitely check them out and possibly comment in return.
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