NHL fans tired of seeing the same divisional teams over and over again will likely welcome the latest plan to re-align the league’s 30 teams. The league’s Board of Governors approved the new 4-division format today and we will see the new divisions come into effect next season. Each team will play in all 30 cities at least once, so fans will get to see inter-conference play that was omitted from this season.
The new alignment will place 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 in the Western Conference. Post-season play will still include 16 teams, eight from each conference with wild-card provisions in place.
The new divisions will consist of the following teams:
Pacific Division (West):
Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks
Vancouver Canucks
Central Division (West):
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets
Atlantic Division (East):
Boston Bruins
Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Metropolitan Division (East):
Columbus Blue Jackets
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
What do you think of the new divisions? Which new match-ups are you most looking forward to?