By AJ Petronzi
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The Atlanta Thrashers announced on Tuesday that the team will be moving to Winnipeg next season. While the franchise will play in the Eastern Conference next season because it's too late to change the schedule, a team in the West will have to move East to keep the conferences balanced in the future. So who goes?
Sentimental, most-outspoken, and historic favorite is the Detroit Red Wings. But that causes some serious problems within the league. Less notable, but more likely candidates are the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Nashville Predators.
Columbus is probably the actual frontrunner. Geographically, it is the most eastern city in the Western Conference. Also, it's playing style is better suited to the Eastern Conference and the team, which has struggled on and off with making and missing the Western Conference Playoff Bracket the last five seasons would be much more competitive in the Eastern Conference.
Nashville is the easiest for the NHL to move logistically. Atlanta is moving from the South-East Division which features teams from Carolina, Florida, and Washington. Meaning it's in Nashville's geographical ballpark. Moving Nashville would actually reduce the team’s travel, while moving Detroit and Columbus would probably cancel out travel since both teams would be making trips down south to play division rivals assuming that the NHL doesn’t change every division in the Eastern Conference to accommodate Detroit and Columbus.
Detroit would be the least likely to go. Not only would it require a lot of inter-conference juggling (because the NHL would undoubtedly want Detroit in a division with Toronto and Montreal) it also would be stealing revenue from struggling Western Conference teams that thrive on the sellout crowds they get with Detroit rolls into town. The REAL problem for the NHL would be that Chicago, Detroit's longest, and currently fiercest, rival would be the only Original Six franchise left in the West. I doubt that the NHL would separate these two teams, which, to date have played more games against each other than any other NHL franchises!
Here's how In Play! puts the odds: 2-1 that Columbus goes East. 3-1 that Nashville goes East. 1000-1 that Detroit goes East.
Read In Play! Magazine Here
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The Atlanta Thrashers announced on Tuesday that the team will be moving to Winnipeg next season. While the franchise will play in the Eastern Conference next season because it's too late to change the schedule, a team in the West will have to move East to keep the conferences balanced in the future. So who goes?
Sentimental, most-outspoken, and historic favorite is the Detroit Red Wings. But that causes some serious problems within the league. Less notable, but more likely candidates are the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Nashville Predators.
Columbus is probably the actual frontrunner. Geographically, it is the most eastern city in the Western Conference. Also, it's playing style is better suited to the Eastern Conference and the team, which has struggled on and off with making and missing the Western Conference Playoff Bracket the last five seasons would be much more competitive in the Eastern Conference.
Nashville is the easiest for the NHL to move logistically. Atlanta is moving from the South-East Division which features teams from Carolina, Florida, and Washington. Meaning it's in Nashville's geographical ballpark. Moving Nashville would actually reduce the team’s travel, while moving Detroit and Columbus would probably cancel out travel since both teams would be making trips down south to play division rivals assuming that the NHL doesn’t change every division in the Eastern Conference to accommodate Detroit and Columbus.
Detroit would be the least likely to go. Not only would it require a lot of inter-conference juggling (because the NHL would undoubtedly want Detroit in a division with Toronto and Montreal) it also would be stealing revenue from struggling Western Conference teams that thrive on the sellout crowds they get with Detroit rolls into town. The REAL problem for the NHL would be that Chicago, Detroit's longest, and currently fiercest, rival would be the only Original Six franchise left in the West. I doubt that the NHL would separate these two teams, which, to date have played more games against each other than any other NHL franchises!
Here's how In Play! puts the odds: 2-1 that Columbus goes East. 3-1 that Nashville goes East. 1000-1 that Detroit goes East.
Read In Play! Magazine Here
