The Concept of Expansion In The NHL

The Concept of Expansion

Winnipeg Jets. Quebec Nordiques. Hartford Whalers. Toronto Legacy? There are too many ideas floating around. Too many questions. Too many ideas for the NHL to move forward. Too much that is unknown. What is known, is the success of the 30 current NHL teams; or lack there of. Everyone hears common discussions about failing teams like Atlanta, Nashville, and Phoenix. Each team is having their own problems, which relate back to the franchise profits.

In the 2009-2010 seasons, there were 7 teams that did not make a profit. The Flames, Thrashers, Predators, Oilers, Lightning, Senators and Coyotes were the only teams to not make a profit in the season. What makes it worse is that 3 of those teams made the playoffs. As the most talked about topic now – the relocation of the Phoenix Coyotes – continues, the primary idea is relocation. Many people are thinking that it would be best for the NHL if they relocated all the struggling teams to new markets. The only problem is who gets them? And how do you decide where to locate a team; without showing bias to a Canadian or American market? That seems to be an ongoing debate.

With the option of relocation looming, and more markets liking the idea of bringing an NHL franchise in, relocation might not be the only way to accomplish that. The other idea that the NHL could entertain would be league expansion. This could create other problems, as they would have to re-configure the league and find a fair way to introduce the new teams and their players. The NHL will likely never release talks about expansion however there are some aspects that you would have to consider in order for expansion to take place.

If the NHL were to expand, the most likely scenario is to change the league from a 6-division league to a 4-division league, and by doing so; they would include 8 teams in each division. In all likelihood, the league would remain with an Eastern and Western Conference; however introduce South-West/South-East, and North-West/North-East divisions. By following this method, it would allow for 2 additional teams into the league. If Phoenix were to be relocated back to Winnipeg, it would leave the opportunity for adding an additional 2 American market teams, or possibly an American and Canadian Market team. In all likelihood, the leading markets for an expansion team would include a second franchise in Toronto or a return to Quebec for the Nordiques. As for the American markets, the leading candidates would be Kansas City, Las Vegas or even another return of sorts, back to Hartford. With the addition of these teams, changes would be made, and it would finally allow the Detroit Red Wings to join the Eastern Conference. The two most likely markets; Quebec and Kansas City.

With these scenarios, the re-structuring of the divisions could look very different.

Western Conference

North-West	South-West
Vancouver Canucks	San Jose Sharks
Colorado Avalanche	Los Angeles Kings
Edmonton Oilers	Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames	Dallas Stars
Winnipeg Jets	St. Louis Blues
Kansas City	Nashville Predators
Minnesota Wild	Columbus Blue Jackets
Chicago Blackhawks	Atlanta Thrashers

Eastern Conference

North-East	South-East
Toronto Maple Leafs	Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens	Tampa Bay Lightning
Quebec Nordiques	Washington Capitals
Detroit Red Wings	New Jersey Devils
Ottawa Senators	Carolina Hurricanes
Buffalo Sabres	New York Islanders
Boston Bruins	New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins	Philadelphia Flyers

The most interesting part about the possibility of expansion is this restructuring of the teams. It could create more rivalries and it would allow more teams to be competitive due to the battles ongoing in each division. With all the possibilities, there still remains many things to be figured out by the league. It definitely creates some interesting thoughts and ideas going forward, however it also could never happen. Regardless of who your team is, it could make for a better and stronger league.

Written by: Duck4Puck1989