Comments on: Pipe dream? NHL still hoping to sell Coyotes to local buyer

By: e5again

e5again — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:35:34 +0000

I don’t think you understand the new alignment.

By: quizguy66

quizguy66 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:25:02 +0000

Now the matter of whether the conference alignment is impacted by a possible Quebec contingency, that is a different matter altogether. It certainly is.

If Phoenix moves to Quebec, they switch conferences to the Adams. No muss, no fuss.

If Columbus moves to Quebec, they switch conferences to the Adams. No muss, no fuss.
If Columbus moves to Kansas City, they stay the same.

These contingencies are part of the reason why Detroit and Columbus did not get moved to the Adams and Patrick. The other reason, I am sure, is the marginal advantage of playing in 7-team conferences was enough of a carrot to the Eastern teams to go along with a plan that will cause them to have increased travel (which is the main thing the Western teams wanted).

-QG

By: quizguy66

quizguy66 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:19:45 +0000

The people saying that the East and West both need 15 to be “fair” and need to balance things out are incorrect.

The odds of a team in an 8-team division making the Stanley Cup Semi-Finals are 1 in 8. It doesn’t matter if the team they meet in that Semi-final comes from a 7-team or an 8-team division. The odds stay the same. 1 in 8. Their odds to make the Stanley Cup Finals are 1 in 16.

The odds of a team in a 7-team division to make the semi-finals is still 1 in 7. To make the finals – 1 in 14.

It doesn’t matter how the conferences are laid out. It doesn’t change the odds.

-QG

By: comeonnowguys

comeonnowguys — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:04:04 +0000

Completely agreed. There are plenty of tea leaves to read about the Phoenix situation. The realignment isn’t among them.

By: jpelle82

jpelle82 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:01:49 +0000

it matters if you are a western team on the bubble and there are 16 teams and only 8 go to the playoffs. in the east there’s 14 and 8 go to the playoffs so you have to even it out. i truly believe if they werent expecting this quebec move then detroit would have been moved to the east in this realignment. still two conferences have 8 teams but the east and west are split evenly with 15 teams each

By: tmoore4075

tmoore4075 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:32:27 +0000

To everyone saying they’ll be in Quebec because of the alignment, that not entirely true. If the team were to move to lets say Houston or KC then Detroit or CBJ could move easily into that division with Boston, TO and the rest. Plus either would fit much better there than in the current SE. It’s not as cut and dry as it’s just Quebec.

I do believe they set it up this way to not have to move Detroit or CBJ right now in case PHX were to move. But if they were to stay it’s not big deal either. There were gonna be two conferences of 8 and so why does it matter if both of those conferences are out west? What happens in the other conferences means nothing to you now.

Personal opinion: I think they move. I can’t imagine anyone fronting the whole bill for this team without some throwbacks from Glendale which Goldwater will stomp on. Sadly there is nowhere with a suitable arena AND ownership. I do hope it’s Quebec City though.

By: jpelle82

jpelle82 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:15:21 +0000

the re alignment basically clues us to the fact that the coyotes will be in quebec. the two eastern conferences only have 7 teams per conference while the west has 8 per conference….coyotes to quebec evens the playoff outlook and balances the competition for playoff spots

By: rupertslander

rupertslander — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:07:14 +0000

Notwithstanding Daly’s comments, the new alignment basically leaves Phoenix for dead.

p.s. The new alignment also effectively expresses no confidence that the Coyotes will wind up in KC or Houston.

By: icelovinbrotha215

icelovinbrotha215 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:03:45 +0000

I don’t see any owner wanting to keep the Coyotes in PHX when there aren’t people filling the seats. Gary Bettman needs to stop being so gun-ho with having a NHL franchisee at ‘every turn’ and allow hockey to grow where people want it.

By: comeonnowguys

comeonnowguys — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:33:08 +0000

Local to Phoenix or local to Quebec?