Could we see the Penguins joining the Atlantic Division and competing against the Maple Leafs more often?

Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

One Maple Leafs beat reporter has made a bold request of the NHL to have the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning moved out of the Atlantic Division.

Divisional re-alignment isn’t anything new in the NHL. Over the years, we have seen teams switching divisions to allow for more seamless travel, which is why a request from The Hockey News’ David Alter is not as far-fetched as perhaps some may think.

Last week, The Athletic’s Dom Luszczszyn shared a graphic showing the breakdown of the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions. Something sticks out like a sore thumb; the distance between many of the Atlantic Division clubs and the two Florida teams.

I’m not exactly sure why the NHL had opted to align the divisions this way, but perhaps it had something to do with more broad exposure for the Panthers and Lightning, who at one point were both struggling franchises. More visibility against teams like the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs may have been a good springboard for the two Florida-based franchises to strengthen their own markets.

Now, with both franchises seemingly finding their footing, perhaps it’s time for another change — one that would make a lot more sense geographically, as David Alter of The Hockey News points out below.

Alter would like to see the Panthers and Lightning join the Metropolitan Division, with the Atlantic Division then absorbing the up-and-coming Columbus Blue Jackets and the slowly declining Pittsburgh Penguins.

Such a move would have some benefits for the Maple Leafs — not the least of which would be their avoidance of the Panthers in at least the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, barring one of the teams slipping into a Wild Card spot and the other winning their division.

It’s unlikely that anything like this would happen ahead of this season, it’s entirely possible that we see such a change occur in the not-too-distant future. Perhaps as soon as the next CBA is ratified.

Previously on MapleLeafsDaily

POLL

2 HOURS AGO   |   331 ANSWERS

Leafs Reporter Requests the Prompt Removal of the Panthers, Lightning from the Atlantic Division

Do you think the NHL should re-align the Atlantic Division and the Metropolitan Division, moving the Penguins and Blue Jackets to the Atlantic and the two Florida teams to the Metro?