When the Atlanta Thrashers became the Winnipeg Jets, it was clear to everyone, including the NHL, that conference re-alignment would be in the near future.
On Monday, the board of governers approved a new re-alignment plan, but it makes way more changes than most expected.
There will no longer be an Eastern and Western Conference. Instead, there will be four conferences that are divided up geographically.
The conferences are as followed:
Conference A
- Anaheim Ducks
- Calgary Flames
- Colorado Avalanche
- Edmonton Oilers- Los Angeles Kings
- Phoenix Coyotes
- San Jose Sharks
- Vancouver Canucks
Conference B
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Dallas Stars
- Detroit Red Wings
- Minnesota Wild
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
- Winnipeg Jets
Conference C
- Boston Bruins
- Buffalo Sabres
- Florida Panthers
- Montreal Canadiens
- Ottawa Senators
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Carolina Hurricanes
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Washington Capitals
The conferences are still to be named, but will be initiated for the 2012-2013 season.
The realignment allows for every team to play each other twice at home and on the road. In addition, teams within the conferences will play each other six times a year; each team getting three games at home and three on the road.
The playoffs also got an overhaul as a result of the realignment.
The top four teams in each conference will make the playoffs, where the top seeds will play the fourth seeds in each conference, and the second seeds will play the third seeds.
The four conference champions will then play in a final four format, then the last two teams will play in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The new alignment is an extreme change for the NHL, but according to commisoner Gary Bettman, the goal was to create a more efficient and balanced schedule for teams.
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