The Benchwarmer Report: The Scoop on Realignment

Following the labour-plagued, shortened 2013 season, the NHL has a new surprise for us this year: Realignment. Some people say that the league proposed this because someone suddenly realized that Winnipeg should really be in the West and that Detroit should really be in the East, but of course the ‘why’ is not what really counts here. Understanding the new rules around realignment are key for the avid or emerging hockey fan, so behold all you need to know about the realignment and how it’s going to affect your favourite hockey teams.
As per usual, the NHL will be divided into two conferences, the East and the West. Effective this season however, there will be 16 teams in the East and 14 in the West. In each conference, there are two divisions, in the East we have the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions and in the West, there are the Pacific and Central divisions. The top three teams in each division will make the playoffs, the other four spots will be filled by the two teams with the next-highest amount of points in each conference regardless of division. This means that a particular division could have five teams qualifying for the playoffs while the other one may have only three.
These new rules create even stiffer competition to make the post-season: Top-three in a division with 7 (Western divisions) or 8 teams (Eastern divisions) is no easy task—the teams are very well spread out this year, making for some seriously exciting hockey!
A few major changes that I may have hinted at earlier… Detroit has moved into the Atlantic Division, which is looking more and more like the American League East of Hockey with fellow 2013 playoff teams Boston, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. Expect Tampa Bay to be dangerous this year too—this will be a very fun and exciting division to watch.
In the West, Winnipeg (you guessed it) has moved into the central division with some sticky competition including the defending Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks. They will have the privilege of not only playing in their own time zone, but also of playing against some top-quality teams such as St. Louis and Nashville.
The lowly Columbus Blue Jackets also came East joining the Metropolitan division, where they will contend with the beyond-loaded, underperforming powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins, Ovie’s Washington Capitals, the Philadelphia Flyers and that phenom-goalie team, the New York Rangers.
Canadian Western teams Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver will have their work cut out for them in the Pacific division. Expect San Jose to come strong as always and don’t forget the ever-patient LA Kings, winners of the Cup in 2012. Anaheim also has quite a strong team and made the postseason last year, so keep an eye on this division if late night hockey is your thing.
Well friends, there you have it: The complete guide to realignment. Best of luck to all your fave teams this season—it’s going to be a great one!