DelPen wrote:So if I have the playoff seeding correct, applying it to current standings with *=conference leaders:
EAST
Montreal (1st*) -Detroit (2nd WC)
Boston (2nd) - Ottawa (3rd)
Pittsburgh(1st) -Toronto(1st WC)
Carolina (2nd) - NJ (3rd)
WEST
Chicago(1st*) -San Jose(2nd WC)
St. Louis(2nd) - Minnesota (3rd)
Anaheim (1st)- Phoenix (1st WC)
Vancouver (2nd) - LA (3rd)
That's what I had as well. Making it a grand total of 2 changes to the playoff teams. NYR out, SJ in (because of the Det move). So it hurts the east a bit, but since the west still has to deal with more travel and more time zone changes it evens itself out long term.
I also like what they did with the Eastern conference alignment. It gives the Florida teams short flights while clustering the Mid-Atlantic teams together to allow for more bus travel than if they moved Florida teams into our division and the NY teams north.
Historically, I wonder how much of an effect this really has had on playoff teams? I think the big thing is that it adds one more team to the West playoffs and one less to the east on account of Detroit making it every year for what seems like 30 years (and Winnepeg/Atlanta + Columbus not doing anything).