Dreger: 50-50 chance players support realignment proposal

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings will finally be making the move from the Western to Eastern Conference, if the most recently reported realignment plan is accepted.

However, nothing has been decided yet and their ambition to play in the Eastern Conference might run into a roadblock.

The players aren’t happy that the Eastern Conference would have 16 teams while the Western Conference only has 14, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

That imbalance would make it easier to for Western Conference teams to make the playoffs, and some would like to see it solved by moving either the Detroit Red Wings or Columbus Blue Jackets back to the Western Conference.

“Told it’s 50-50 at the moment as to whether or not PA approves realignment proposal,” Dreger said. “NHL will push hard to get it through as is.”

It’s not as simple as keeping Columbus in the West though. If the players and league attempt to do that, the Blue Jackets would “fight like hell” to prevent it, according to the Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline.

“From a Blue Jackets’ perspective, playing the majority of our games in the eastern time zone would be beneficial from a travel perspective … and (for) our television and radio broadcasts,” said Blue Jackets president Mike Priest in a Columbus Dispatch report.

Keeping the Blue Jackets in the West but letting Detroit move would cost Columbus the big attraction of regular games against the Red Wings without gaining more favorable travel times in the process.

If you need a refresher on what the current plan is, we have all the details here.