2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

[joecct]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

How do you figure? My guess is each conference will have a division of 8 and a division of 7, keeping 15 teams in each conference...

The way I've been reading this is, because of TV considerations, the East would be overbalanced.

BTW, Matt Gilroy was let go by the Rangers when they could not agree on a contract.

 

[aparch]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

The easiest way, and one that no one's really mentioned was the way the AHL does it. 8+7 in each conference. Here's where it gets tricky (but would solve the "masses" gripes about unbalanced divisions.

For EACH Conference: in the 8 team division, if the fifth place team has more points than the fourth place team in the 7 team division, the fifth place team transfers over into the other division and will be placed by points.

So lets say we have:
Detroit 110
Chicago 108
St. Louis 104
Nashville 103
Minnesota 101
Team 6
Team 7
Team 8

and
San Jose 113
Vancouver 112
LA Kings 103
Phoenix 98
Team 5
Team 6
Team 7

If this was the AHL, Phoenix would be told "Thanks for playing, try again next year," and Minnesota would transfer over into the smaller division for the playoffs.

It solves the "screwing the bigger division" problem. And it certainly adds a great twist to the race to the playoffs.

 

[Almington]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

The easiest way, and one that no one's really mentioned was the way the AHL does it. 8+7 in each conference. Here's where it gets tricky (but would solve the "masses" gripes about unbalanced divisions.

For EACH Conference: in the 8 team division, if the fifth place team has more points than the fourth place team in the 7 team division, the fifth place team transfers over into the other division and will be placed by points.

So lets say we have:
Detroit 110
Chicago 108
St. Louis 104
Nashville 103
Minnesota 101
Team 6
Team 7
Team 8

and
San Jose 113
Vancouver 112
LA Kings 103
Phoenix 98
Team 5
Team 6
Team 7

If this was the AHL, Phoenix would be told "Thanks for playing, try again next year," and Minnesota would transfer over into the smaller division for the playoffs.

It solves the "screwing the bigger division" problem. And it certainly adds a great twist to the race to the playoffs.

Do all the AHL teams in the confernce play the same (or nearly the same) schedule, or are the highly unbalanced?

 

[aparch]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

Do all the AHL teams in the confernce play the same (or nearly the same) schedule, or are the highly unbalanced?

It's unbalanced. It resembles more of the NCAA's free for all in scheduling non-conference opponents. It's all in who wants to pay to come visit (Abbotsford, San Antonio). For the most part, it's Western Conference teams beating up on themselves, and Eastern Conference teams beating up on themselves. A few East teams head West and vice versa, but not many.

 

[bronconick]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

Wings reportedly close to re-signing Jonathan "Turnover" Ericsson.

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/31g0YE61PLQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Dude's been responsible for both game 3 OT goals vs. San Jose in the last two years.

 

[Almington]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

It's unbalanced. It resembles more of the NCAA's free for all in scheduling non-conference opponents. It's all in who wants to pay to come visit (Abbotsford, San Antonio). For the most part, it's Western Conference teams beating up on themselves, and Eastern Conference teams beating up on themselves. A few East teams head West and vice versa, but not many.

OK, So do teams play a balanced conference slate, or do you play the teams in your division more often? The fact of the matter is that the last team in is usually not statistically significantly different from the first team out, so I think that any objective measure of how to determine the final 2 playoff spots is fair: Top 3 from each division, next two teams with most points.

Can we just contract (add) two teams, have 4 divisions of 7 (8) teams each and have the top 4 from each division make the playoffs? Plus, have the first two rounds of the playoffs be intra-divisional games?

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

OK, So do teams play a balanced conference slate, or do you play the teams in your division more often? The fact of the matter is that the last team in is usually not statistically significantly different from the first team out, so I think that any objective measure of how to determine the final 2 playoff spots is fair: Top 3 from each division, next two teams with most points.

Can we just contract (add) two teams, have 4 divisions of 7 (8) teams each and have the top 4 from each division make the playoffs? Plus, have the first two rounds of the playoffs be intra-divisional games?

Why don't we just go with 2 games against every team in hockey, top 8 teams in each conference make playoffs.

 

[Almington]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

Why don't we just go with 2 games against every team in hockey, top 8 teams in each conference make playoffs.

That's only 58 games, what about the other 24 games?

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

That's only 58 games, what about the other 24 games?

Don't play them...the season is too **** long...the NBA should do the same...

 

[Almington]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

Don't play them...the season is too **** long...the NBA should do the same...

Not going to happen, to much $$ at stake. Neither the owners nor players are going to want to give up ~1/3 of their revenue/salaries.

 

[Bakunin]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

Why don't we just go with 2 games against every team in hockey, top 8 teams in each conference make playoffs.

That doesn't do much for rivalries.

 

[Almington]

That doesn't do much for rivalries.

Rivalries are grown in the playoffs.

 

[J.D.]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

My best guess at realignment:

Northeast:

1. Montreal
2. Boston
3. Toronto
4. Ottawa
5. Buffalo
6. New York Rangers
7. New York Islanders

Atlantic/Southeast:

1. Florida
2. Tampa Bay
3. Nashville
4. Washington
5. Carolina
6. Philadelphia
7. New Jersey
8. Pittsburgh

Central:

1. Columbus
2. Detroit
3. St. Louis
4. Chicago
5. Minnesota
6. Winnipeg
7. Dallas

Pacific/Northwest:

1. LA
2. Anaheim
3. San Jose
4. Phoenix
5. Colorado
6. Calgary
7. Edmonton
8. Vancouver

 

[Biddco]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

My best guess at realignment:

Northeast:

1. Montreal
2. Boston
3. Toronto
4. Ottawa
5. Buffalo
6. New York Rangers
7. New York Islanders

Atlantic/Southeast:

1. Florida
2. Tampa Bay
3. Nashville
4. Washington
5. Carolina
6. Philadelphia
7. New Jersey
8. Pittsburgh

Central:

1. Columbus
2. Detroit
3. St. Louis
4. Chicago
5. Minnesota
6. Winnipeg
7. Dallas

Pacific/Northwest:

1. LA
2. Anaheim
3. San Jose
4. Phoenix
5. Colorado
6. Calgary
7. Edmonton
8. Vancouver

Looks pretty reasonable to me. The conferences will be largely set by time zones. Which I am guessing is partly tv and partly travel.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

Looks pretty reasonable to me. The conferences will be largely set by time zones. Which I am guessing is partly tv and partly travel.

I highly doubt Winnipeg would be happy and I'm not sure Nashville is the one that moves with Columbus and Detroit being the ones in the Eastern Time Zone.

 

[J.D.]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

I highly doubt Winnipeg would be happy and I'm not sure Nashville is the one that moves with Columbus and Detroit being the ones in the Eastern Time Zone.

Why wouldn't Winnipeg be happy? Also, you very well may be right about Detroit/Columbus...I just went with what I thought looked best. To me, Nashville just belongs in the Southeast Division.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

Why wouldn't Winnipeg be happy? Also, you very well may be right about Detroit/Columbus...I just went with what I thought looked best. To me, Nashville just belongs in the Southeast Division.

Too bad they aren't in the eastern timezone...if they keep 6 divisions, Nashville or Columbus make the most sense. If they go with 4 divisions, Columbus or Detroit makes the most sense. Winnipeg would not be happy if they aren't in the same division as the Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton.

 

[aparch]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

This one is for aparch....

Kirk Muller is taking the reigns of the Chicago Wolves, according to Montreal's CKAC.

Hmmm. Seems that he's going to be announced as the new head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals. I was hoping he was going to be the new Wolves coach, but things must have changed.


And it's official. Chicago Wolves and the Vancouver Canucks. Two year deal.
San Antonio gets reunited with their former ex-partner, the Florida Panthers.
Portland Pirates get affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes. And Rochester is officially the Sabres affiliate thanks to Pegula buying them (and Portland finding another affiliate).

 

[Almington]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

Too bad they aren't in the eastern timezone...if they keep 6 divisions, Nashville or Columbus make the most sense. If they go with 4 divisions, Columbus or Detroit makes the most sense. Winnipeg would not be happy if they aren't in the same division as the Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton.

You could swich Colorado and Winnepeg. The problem is that the distripution of the teams makes it that some unfortunate team(s) in the Eastern Time Zone is going to get stuck in the Western Conference. No way around it.

 

[MountieBoyOz]

Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition

For the leftover games, I do think the Original 6 should be playing against each other as much as possible once conference obligations are done.