
Conf A | Pts | Conf B | Pts |
Vancouver | 117 | Detroit | 104 |
San Jose | 105 | Nashville | 99 |
Phoenix | 99 | Chicago | 97 |
Anaheim | 99 | Dallas | 95 |
Los Angeles | 98 | St. Louis | 87 |
Calgary | 94 | Minnesota | 86 |
Colorado | 68 | Columbus | 81 |
Edmonton | 62 | Winnipeg | 80 |
Conf C | Pts | Conf D | Pts |
Tampa Bay | 103 | Washington | 107 |
Boston | 103 | Pittsburgh | 106 |
Montreal | 96 | Philadelphia | 106 |
Buffalo | 96 | NY Rangers | 93 |
Toronto | 85 | Carolina | 91 |
Ottawa | 74 | New Jersey | 81 |
Florida | 72 | NY Islanders | 73 |
Some quick observations...
1) All-Canadian Playoff matchups are much more likely in this scenario with Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton in one Conference, and Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto in another.
2) Winnipeg would not see a Canadian team in the playoffs unless it advanced to the Semi-Finals (through two rounds successfully).
3) Eastern teams have a 57% chance of making the post-season (4/7) compared to a mere 50% chance for Western teams (4/8)
4) Applying this model to last season's standing reveals that Los Angeles with 98 points would fail to qualify for the post-season, while five teams that did qualify had fewer points. Keep in mind that these points were obtained under a schedule of playing different teams at different frequencies, so it's not necessarily an example of things to come.
5) The alignment presently suggests eight (8) team divisions would play each other five or six times. In the seven (7) team divisions, they would play each other six (6) times.
6) Existing geographical rivalries should be maintained around the league, while in the next season, some new rivalries should intensify as each Conference appears to have some front runners. Key Conference Matchups include Vancouver / San Jose, Detroit / Chicago, Boston / Buffalo, and Philadelphia / Pittsburgh / Washington
7) Based on last year's standings, Conference D appears to be the strongest:
Conf D | 93.9 |
Conf A | 92.8 |
Conf B | 91.1 |
Conf C | 89.9 |
8) Each team would play teams outside of their Conference twice - one home and one away.
9) Playoffs: Top four teams in each conference play each other (#1 vs #4, #2 vs #3)
What are your thoughts and comments?
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