Found this on an X account as a proposed realignment. Top 2 teams make playoffs. 1-4 vs 5-8 and to be determined by record for seeding. I kinda like it. Thoughts?

12 comments

1. Ya but then you’ll get the classic 4th in a really good division has a better record and 2nd place somewhere else.

   I actually think the NHL should just go straight 1-16 bracket style playoffs. No arguments about records when it’s straight overall 1-16. Additional travel these days is barely an issue those series could just have an extra rest day.

2. Why though? To solve what problem?

3. You can’t just automatically put 2 from every division in. Would need to be the 4 division winners in then 4 wild cards behind them. Otherwise I’m for it

4. Flip around Seattle in the NW, Jets in SW, Vegas in pacific and it’s perfect

5. Detroit will never accept moving back to the Western Conference. In fact, the league will never even propose it.

6. I think I prefer top 1 of each division and 8 at-large (highest point total) gets in. I love the idea of 1 against 16, 2 against 15, 3 against 14, etc, because it allows for the potential of having say a Boston-Montreal, Tampa-Florida, or Edmontom-Calgary Stanley Cup Finals. But for TV ratings, that’s problematic as you could end up with 8 west coast teams in round 2 which either 2 games have to start really early to gain east coast viewers, or potentially lose those viewers with a normal start time for attending fans.

   I love the idea of smaller divisions with more games played between them because it would create some fun and nasty rivalries. Maybe an 80-game schedule with 4 home and 4 away vs each 3 division teams (8×3=24) plus a home and away against every non-division team (28×2=56), putting the total at 80 (24+56=80).

7. No

8. Hate it. For so many reasons.

9. I like it, but play 1 vs 2 in each division in the first round, then seed the remaining 8 for the rest of the playoffs. No need for conferences. That can avoid Detroit’s unhappiness in the potential West.

10. Poor Dallas

11. 1-8 and re-seed each round. Sometimes the simplest answer is the best

12. So, Seattle and Buffalo would make it, but Tampa, Winnepeg, and Vegas wouldn’t?? no thanks lol