As soon as the primary issues in the next CBA are agreed to, such as hockey-related revenue and revenue sharing, the topic of realignment will probably come up in the labor meetings between the NHL and its players.
Any changes made don't have to be drastic, although making huge conference changes wouldn't be an awful idea, but there are some smaller changes that must be made before next season.
Let's look at some options that the two sides could consider when realignment inevitably comes up in CBA talks.
Small Moves
For starters, the Winnipeg Jets must be placed in the Western Conference as soon as possible so they don't have to travel long distances just to play division teams.
Since the franchise was previously in Atlanta, it made sense to have the Jets in the Southeast Division for at least one season, but since realignment can be discussed in the labor negotiations, there's no reason to keep Winnipeg in the Eastern Conference going forward.
The most logical place for the Jets is the Northwest Division, where they can make small trips to face the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Nicholas Goss
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