Shake 'N Bake

Realignment

            Just four months after the game of hockey returned to the ice Gary Bettman shakes the pot up again….and he shook it like a salt shaker. But for the most part, it seems to be a smarter move all around for everybody. Business wise its genius. Geographically it makes more sense than any other set up that we have seen yet.

            Rivalries will take on a whole new meaning this year, especially in the Metropolitan Division. Each of the 82 games will play such a key role in just making the playoffs. So here’s how the NHL is broken down this year:

Western Conference

Pacific Division

            Anaheim

            Calgary

            Edmonton

            LA

            Phoenix

            San Jose

            Vancouver

Central Division

            Chicago

            Colorado

            Dallas

            Minnesota

            St. Louis

            Nashville

            Winnipeg (Came from the Eastern Conference Southeast Division)

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division (Metro??? Who came up with this idea for a name?)

            Carolina

            Columbus (Came from the Western Conference Central Division)

            New Jersey

            NY Islanders

            NY Rangers

            Philadelphia

            Pittsburgh

            Washington

Atlantic Division

            Boston

            Buffalo

            Detroit (Came from the Western Conference Central Division)

            Florida

            Montreal

            Ottawa

            Tampa Bay

            Toronto

            

            So far this set up looks smart on paper financially. But since this is a Washington Capitals blog there is really only one division that we need to look at….The Metropolitan division. Ok, I get it. I understand the fact that each team in the “Metro” division, with the exception of Carolina and Columbus, have teams in large metropolitan areas. Really though, a sport like hockey with its violence, passion, and fans are really going to want to be called the 2014 Metro Champs! Might as well just make the Division Trophy a giant fairy for heaven sake.

            The Metro division is going to be one of the closest watched divisions. The rivalries are already well established from years past. Its basically the Atlantic division and just throw Washington in there. The added Capitals element will prove to play a vital role in the amount of teams that make the playoffs from the Metro division.

            As of now the set up for the season goes as follows (For the Metro Division): Each team will play 30 Divisional Conference Games (Five games against two teams and then 4 games against 5 teams), 24 Non Divisional Conference Games (3 games against each team), 28 Non Conference games (2 games against each team). The amount of games being played and the amount of stars in the Metro division alone makes for an incredible opportunity for fans to see the top stars in the game play. With four of the top five fantasy rated players in the Metro division alone it has become molded into an environment that is poised for drama, excitement, and a whole lot of fighting.

            The playoffs becomes an interesting issue as well. The way to make the playoffs this year comes down to a very simple set up. The top three teams in each division will make the playoffs. This will fill 12 slots total for playoff spots. The final four spots will be filled by the next highest point accumulation for the regular season. So it is definitely possible for the Metro division to send five teams to the playoffs.

            This entire realignment may actually be the first thing in a long time that NHL fans have agree with Gary Bettman on. We are all still mostly very bitter at how the season played out in the NHL last year. But we can be sure of one thing. This year will have alot of excitement. Its still August and you can just feel the anticipation building. Its basically the old Patrick division coming out to play which will definitely create some drama. Expect to see Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin, the Staal family, and Tavares in the news ALOT! Then just think about the goalie matchups we will see:Lundqvist, Brodeur, Nabokov, Thomas, Holtby, and Fleury all going up against each other. 

            This being said every point is important. Every injury takes on a whole new meaning. Every day brings about a new challenge for the capitals on their quest for their first Stanley cup.