The NHL confirmed a realignment plan on Monday night that will shift the Capitals to a new seven-team conference that includes the organization’s traditional rivals.
The measure passed at the NHL’s board of governors’ meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. It is the first major realignment since 1998 and allows for at least a home-and-home series between every team in the league. The realignment is expected to alleviate travel issues for Western Conference teams that have long borne the brunt of the NHL’s emphasis on division rivalries.
The Caps will return to a grouping that includes the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils. Washington built longstanding rivalries with those five teams during its days in the old Patrick Division and later the Atlantic Division.
But for the 1998-99 season the NHL created two new divisions to accommodate the addition of five expansion franchises in non-traditional markets in the 1990s and four others that moved cities. That landed the Caps in a new Southeast Division that included teams in Raleigh, Miami and Tampa Bay and – after another expansion team joined the NHL the following year – Atlanta. Washington has long contended that moving away from its traditional rivalries hurt the team’s attendance – especially as its on-ice fortunes declined into during a lengthy rebuild.
Only one team from the Southeast Division – the Carolina Hurricanes – will go with the Caps to join the five current Atlantic Division teams. The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lighting have been added to the current Northeast Division. The Winnipeg Jets – who moved from Atlanta during the offseason and remained in the Southeast for just this season – are headed to a conference closer to its geographic footprint.
The Stanley Cup playoffs will also change with the new format as the league changes to four “conferences” instead of six divisions. In each conference, the top four teams qualify for the postseason and have to play each other for the right to advance to the Stanley Cup semifinals. The new schedule also gives the Caps three home games and three road games against its conference rivals. They will then play the other 23 teams in the NHL in a home-and-home series. The trade is one less visit to Verizon Center per season from teams like the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. Here is the new conference alignment, which is pending only approval from the NHL Players’ Association.
“A” “B” “C” “D”
Anaheim Ducks Chicago Blackhawks Boston Bruins Carolina Hurricanes
Calgary Flames Columbus Blue Jackets Buffalo Sabres New Jersey Devils
Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars Florida Panthers New York Islanders
Edmonton Oilers Detroit Red Wings Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers
Los Angeles Kings Minnesota Wild Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers
Phoenix Coyotes Nashville Predators Tampa Bay Lightning Pittsburgh Penguins
San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues Toronto Maple Leafs Washington Capitals
Vancouver Canucks Winnipeg Jets
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