Eklund, I think this is a fantastic idea. I specifically like the rotation of the "sister divisions", as that will give us all an opportunity to see different teams more often & will give the rest of the NHL the chance at feeling the wrath of Connor McDavid....oh yeah, I went there.

And seriously, I love the suggestions from others suggesting that we need to have Buffalo & Toronto in the same division for the sake of rivalries. Seriously, in the last decade who would have wanted to see these two teams play??? Not even citizens of those two cities want to see this match-up.
- Sammy Van Hagar

Or they were the only games fans of those two cities wanted to watch... when your team is on the down trend of a rebuild and you can still beat your rivalries its satisfying... I mean I'm sure that's hard to comprehend as an Oilers fan but it's the truth

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
- KOGGS

Approximately 1000

Have you seen the size of the turds they leave???

If so, that should answer your question.
- MrBeanTown

Because you touch yourself at night!
- mlindsay

Every time you touch yourself God kills a pony.

Seeding the NHL teams 1 through 16 will never happen.

The travel will make it grossly unfair for the teams that have to go from east to west in the first few rounds.

Every time you touch yourself God kills a pony.
- dothedougie

fact

It used to be Unicorns... and that is why they no longer exist

Eklund, I think this is a fantastic idea. I specifically like the rotation of the "sister divisions", as that will give us all an opportunity to see different teams more often & will give the rest of the NHL the chance at feeling the wrath of Connor McDavid....oh yeah, I went there.

And seriously, I love the suggestions from others suggesting that we need to have Buffalo & Toronto in the same division for the sake of rivalries. Seriously, in the last decade who would have wanted to see these two teams play??? Not even citizens of those two cities want to see this match-up.
- Sammy Van Hagar

yeah, i don't really buy Sabres/Leafs rivalry....but if you're setting it up geographically (for the most part that's how he's done it) so that each divisional team is nearby, then it makes absolutely no sense to separate them just to draw a distinction between the countries.

Switch Buffalo and Montreal. I also think Colorado should be in the detroit/blackhawks division.
- goavsgo10

If anyone should be with Detroit/Chicago/Minnesota it's St. Louis.

If Chicago and Detroit can be separated, then so can Montreal and Boston

Oh like Edmonton really has had thrilling rivalries with Calgary and Vancouver... Give me a break. If anything you've been worse than us the last decade overall. Buffalo, Toronto, Boston, Ottawa and Montreal all deserve to be together just the same as Edmonton and Calgary and Vancouver.
- bluengold12

Hey, you'll get no argument from me, the Oilers have sucked over the past couple of decades (excluding 2006). I just think it's funny that Sabres fans are so adamant that they play in the same division as the Leafs........let me say that again, the LEAFS!!!.....I can only guess it's because the Leafs give the Sabres the chance at an easy win......As a west-coast fan, I honestly had no idea that Sabres fans considered the Leafs a rival......I guess it's no stranger than the Canucks fans out here considering the Leafs their main rival. Everybody wants a piece of the Leafs.........easy wins are hard to come by.

I'm thinking along the lines of If Stamkos leaves (not likely) and they trade Drouin now (also unlikely) they are left minus two top forwards. If Stammer is signed long term, they can afford to let one forward prospect go for a decent return.
- mlindsay

Ah. Well yes and no. With a Stammer extension guys like Drouin on ELC contracts will be even more valuable, especially when considering Hedman needs a new deal the following year. Anything is possible but I absolutely do not think they would trade Drouin until they see if he can and how he plays with Stammer. Stammer is most dangerous with a passer/playmaker on his wing. Either way I think the chances Drouin are dealt are somewhere between slim and none leaning towards the latter.

fact

It used to be Unicorns... and that is why they no longer exist
- MrBeanTown

No where in this thread was there any discussion of the Flames/Oilers matchup. Although, I 100% agree. Comparing the Battle of Alberta & the Leafs/Sabres rivalries over the past decade are equally as bad, you'll get no argument from me there.
- Sammy Van Hagar

My point was just because the teams haven't always been great doesn't mean the rivalry isn't still fun to watch. Rivalry games can actually make a very terrible season more bearable to watch, especially if you lose many games, but beat your bitter rival more times then they beat you. I think all those teams will be on the up and up soon though.

My point was just because the teams haven't always been great doesn't mean the rivalry isn't still fun to watch. Rivalry games can actually make a very terrible season more bearable to watch, especially if you lose many games, but beat your bitter rival more times then they beat you. I think all those teams will be on the up and up soon though.
- SDSabre

Oh, I agree. Trust me, the only reason to watch an Oiler's game over the past couple of decades was for the odd time they'd beat up on a rival team, which didn't happen too often. I honestly just didn't ever really see a rivalry between the Leafs/Sabres.....but hey, I learned something new today......I like the Sabres, hate the Leafs, so I'll know who to cheer for the next time they play.

Yeah let's diminish every rivalry in hockey... not a good format at all

....and then 300 miles thru the desert from the closest (LA) of those cities mentioned.

but you do have a point, a Vegas team would draw some California crowds. Could argue it's close to Phoenix as well.
- nikel

LA and Anaheim are both about 280 miles to Vegas; a 3 1/2 hour breeze with no traffic (and excruciating 6+ hours with). San Jose is a bit further.

However, they are all cheap, quick flights away from Vegas, too.

Yes, Phoenix is also close to Vegas but let's not kid ourselves. The Yotes really don't have any fans.

The Kings and Avs play a pre-season game at MGM Grand every year and it draws well.

Hey, you'll get no argument from me, the Oilers have sucked over the past couple of decades (excluding 2006). I just think it's funny that Sabres fans are so adamant that they play in the same division as the Leafs........let me say that again, the LEAFS!!!.....I can only guess it's because the Leafs give the Sabres the chance at an easy win......As a west-coast fan, I honestly had no idea that Sabres fans considered the Leafs a rival......I guess it's no stranger than the Canucks fans out here considering the Leafs their main rival. Everybody wants a piece of the Leafs.........easy wins are hard to come by.
- Sammy Van Hagar

Who did you think we were rivals with? I'm not that old but since I've been into hockey. (The mid 90's) Buffalo's biggest rivals mainly depend on who we're playing in the playoffs as they always seem to be the same team for a few years IE: Ottawa mid 2000's Boston 2009 - Present. But the Maple Leafs and surprisingly the Flyers have always been main stays in terms of no matter where each team is at in the standings you can guarantee the game will be intense. I don't know if its the same over in Edmonton against Calgary or Vancouver but I'd guess it were. Buffalo is one of the most passionate fanbases in the league and has a long standing relationship with the teams mentioned. Putting them against teams they've played maybe twice a year at best for the past decade would be terrible.

not sure if this was discussed yet (and don't have time to go through 5 pages of replies to check)...
this would make an 88 game schedule (24*2 = 48 non-conference games, not 42)

the only way to maintain the 82 game schedule would be to play 6 against each divisional team instead of 8.
48 out of conference+16 sister+18 divisional =82

Seeding the NHL teams 1 through 16 will never happen.

The travel will make it grossly unfair for the teams that have to go from east to west in the first few rounds.
- Charliebox

Grossly unfair for the teams in the east ?

I love every year once we reach the finals and you hear the crazy travel the west champ has to go through compared to the teams in the east who might not hop on a plane for more then half hour a week

I agree it will never happen but you have to be kidding with the travel

At the end of the day, all this rivalry talk is a little ridiculous.

I understand that you want to try to keep as many traditional rivals together as possible, but sometimes it just can't work.

The current format is flawed. If we add a team to both the West and the East (LV and QC) we still have two more teams in the East than the West. They can't keep that imbalance forever. Something needs to change.

They can't move a team in an Eastern time zone to the West. That's just ridiculous for a team that plays so many games against it's own division and conference. Any Eastern team that does that will be screwed. The only reason it worked for so long with Detroit is cause their team was amazing and they at least had some central teams in their division. It clearly wasn't working with Columbus though.

With that said, the 4 team division idea seems to make the most sense, if they stick with it. Whatever the NHL does, they have to make it stick for a long time.

Look at the NFL. If we just went based on geography and rivalries from other sports, some of their divisions are way out of balance. But, over time, some of the best rivalries have been formed.

Look at Philly/Dallas. Or Washington/Dallas. No where near each other, yet these two of the best, if not THE best rivalries in football. If we were assuming geography meant everything, those would be the last places to form rivalries. Why did they then? Because they've played so many meaningful games.

The NHL simply needs to find a solution (that makes sense time zone and travel wise) and stick with it for 20 years. Rivalries will develop.

Oh, I agree. Trust me, the only reason to watch an Oiler's game over the past couple of decades was for the odd time they'd beat up on a rival team, which didn't happen too often. I honestly just didn't ever really see a rivalry between the Leafs/Sabres.....but hey, I learned something new today......I like the Sabres, hate the Leafs, so I'll know who to cheer for the next time they play.
- Sammy Van Hagar

I hear ya. And proximity plays a large part in this. There isn't 100 miles between the two cities. Helps build the hate

Grossly unfair for the teams in the east ?

I love every year once we reach the finals and you hear the crazy travel the west champ has to go through compared to the teams in the east who might not hop on a plane for more then half hour a week

I agree it will never happen but you have to be kidding with the travel
- Redmile247

When I say East to West, I also meant West to East.

Let's say Vancouver has to play Tampa in the first round and then they have to play the winner of NYR/NYI in the second round. Vancouver would be at a huge disadvantage.

explain....
- Eklund

How would this work with network contracts, especially the mega contract with Rogers Communications? Would combining all of the Canadian teams alter the contract (devalue it)? I would love to see Detroit/Chicago play each other more.

Eklund: How about 8 divisions of 4 teams? Drouin to StL/Dallas? Buzzcast @1
- Eklund

If the expansion of Vegas, shouldn't their rivalry be ARZ...??? But not put in same division...

Every time you touch yourself God kills a pony.
- dothedougie

RIP Khloe Kardashian