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[New York Rangers]

What NHL realignment could hypothetically look like for the Rangers — and rest of League

The Major League Baseball community is buzzing with talks of realignment. Commissioner Rob Manfred recently proposed the idea of shaking up the league’s structure if MLB adds an expansion team sometime in the near future.

Imagine the New York Yankees and New York Mets squaring off as permanent divisions rivals, or the Dodgers and Giants being split apart — a change that would feel just as shocking to hockey fans, as say, breaking up the New York Rangers and New York Islanders.

So let’s play the same game with hockey. We’re deep into the NHL offseason, and the League’s current four-division format isn’t bad, though maybe outdated. When the realignment was introduced in 2013, the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken didn’t exist, and the Phoenix Coyotes (changed to Arizona Coyotes in 2014) hadn’t relocated to Utah. With multiple expansion teams since and shifting geography, it’s fair to ask what would a new, rivalry-driven realignment of the NHL look like today?

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Eastern Conference​

Hudson Divison — New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins​

Few divisions in sports could match the intensity of this one. The Hudson Divison brings together three of hockey’s most heated metropolitan rivals — Rangers, Islanders, New Jersey Devils — and adds in the Original Six Boston Bruins. Every team in this divisions has history and hostility against one another. Rangers-Islanders and Rangers-Devils remains two of the NHL’s hottest rivalries, and Bruins-Rangers is as classic as it gets.

Travel works perfectly too. All four teams are in the Northeast, meaning shorter flights and more energy for the games.

Atlantic Division — Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes​

This division builds on historical and current Metropolitan Division rivalries. Flyers-Penguins is a classic, while the Penguins-Capitals rivalry has defined this current era of hockey, thanks to superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.

The Hurricanes fit geographically in a division with the Florida teams, but hey are also have history and rivalries with these teams because of their Metropolitan Division roots. This grouping keeps traveling contained nicely to the East Coast, stretching from Philadelphia, down to Raleigh, and out west a bit to Pittsburgh.

Great Lakes Division — Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets​

This divisions revives one of hockey’s first rivalries. The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings have a century worth of history, though it’s been muted since 2013, when the Red Wings moved out of the Western Conference.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild round out this divisions with geographical fits, if not traditional rivalries. The Blue Jackets cover the Midwest and also give the Red Wings a new regional rival right down I-75. All four teams sit in the Great Lakes or Upper Midwest region, minimizing travel for divisional matchups.

Related: Rangers concern meter: Weighing potential issues for 2025-26 season

Canada East Division — Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres​

The Canada East division would be pierced with history. The Montreal Canadiens-Toronto Maple Leafs rivalry features two proud Original 6 franchises. The Ottawa Senators add in an Ontario-based rivalry with the Maple Leafs and recent animosity with the Canadiens, a nearby neighbor. Throw the Buffalo Sabres in the mix — a team just across the border and a long-time rival of the Maple Leafs — and you get a division where every matchup feels perfect.

From a travel standpoint, this is as clean as it gets. Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal are connected along Highway 401 and Buffalo is across the Peace Bridge. Every team here has a fan base with chips on their shoulders — especially the Leafs and Canadiens. This divisions would be unpredictable, heated, and deliver must-watch hockey.

Western Conference​

Canada West Division — Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets​

This is the Canadien gauntlet. The Battle of Alberta between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers is aurguably the best hockey rivalry in Canada. The Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets round out the group.

What makes this division so interesting is identity. Every divisional game would carry national pride, and the sense of tradition. Fans across Canada would rally around this division, and the playoff series between any of these four would be great theater.

Related: Rangers get wings clipped in TSN rankings; Blueshirts rated in next-to-last tier

Pacific Division — Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken​

The Battle of California between the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks has produced some of the most memorable playoff series over the years. Adding in the Seattle Kraken gives the division a new edge.

From a travel perspective, this is one of the tightest divisions in the League. All four teams hug the Pacific Coast, giving West Coast fans matchups they can stay locked into. The division balances legacy rivalries with new blood.

Mountain Division — Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Mammoth, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars​

The Mountain Division binds new markets with established organizations. The Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche have already built a modern day rivalry through multiple playoff series, and slotting the two together makes sure those showdowns stay a regular battle. The Utah Mammoth have the opportunity to gain immediate regional rivals in both Las Vegas and Denver. Dallas rounds out the pod, giving the historical presence from the Central Division.

Even though the traveling distance between these teams is greater than most of the other divisions, all four clubs fall in the Mountain or Central time zones. For fans, the storylines write themselves: the Golden Knights with Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel, the powerhouses in the Avalanche and Stars, and a hungry Utah team looking to carve out its place in the NHL.

Related: Rangers coach can ‘envision us exploring keeping’ Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller on same line: report

Southern Division — Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues​

On paper, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers are East Coast franchises. But in this realignment, it’s about creating divisions that mesh. The Battle of Florida is one of the League’s best rivalries, and keeping the Lightning and Panthers together while pairing them with the Nashville Predators and St. Lous Blues makes far more sense than forcing them into one of the Eastern Conference divisions.

The result is a division that captures the southern teams, keeping travel logical. The Florida teams avoid constant cross-border trips unlike in their current Atlantic Division set-up. Nashville and St. Louis make more sense in this division than Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.

Hypothetical NHL scheduling changes and playoff format​

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Under the new format, the NHL season would expand across eight divisions of four teams split into two conferences. The 84-game schedule should maximize rivalries while staying balanced across the League.

Each team would play its three divisional opponents five times apiece, totaling 15 games. The home and away splits would alternate each season (two home/three away one year, then three home/two away the next season).

Against the rest of the conference — the other 12 teams outside of the division — clubs would meet three times each for an added 36 games (one home/two away one year, then two home/one away the next season).

The remaining 32 games would come against the opposite conference, with every team playing a home and away game. That brings the total to 83 games, leaving room for one extra rivalry/flex game for each club.

With the NHL realigned into eight divisions of four, the postseason would be a straight 1-8 seeding in each conference, regardless of divisional standings. Divisions titles will still matter for bragging rights, but spots would be earned purely on overall performance. For standings tiebreakers, the head-to-head record takes precedence.

Of course, the chances of the NHL moving to an eight-division format is slim at best. The current structure already has its deep routes, and the League realigned its divisions just over twelve years ago. That being said, it’s always fun to imagine how things could look if the NHL decided to shake things up.

At the end of day, this realignment was more of an experiment rather than a prediction, but one that could make you think twice about how the NHL could continue evolving.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...othetical-nhl-realignment-divisions-playoffs/

 

[New York Rangers]

Rangers coach can ‘envision us exploring keeping’ Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller on same line: report

Dennis Schneidler-Imagn ImagesDennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

One of the most important decisions Mike Sullivan will make in his first training camp as New York Rangers coach is where Mika Zibanejad best fits in the lineup. Does the longtime center remain in the middle? Or are the Rangers best served with Zibanejad playing right wing on a line centered by J.T. Miller?

Sullivan hasn’t spoken publicly since he was introduced as the 38th head coach in Rangers history in early May. However, he recently shed some light about his plan for Zibanejad in comments published by NHL.com.

“I would envision us exploring that combination to see if they can potentially build on the chemistry that they’ve already built,” Sullivan said about playing Zibanejad and Miller on the same line.

Zibanejad was at his most productive last season skating on the wing after the Rangers acquired Miller from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31. Though Zibanejad dipped to 20 goals and 62 points in a largely disappointing season overall, he finished strong with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 32 games after the Miller trade.

Miller, who struggled with the Canucks before the deal, had 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 32 games with the Rangers.

New York goal!

Scored by J.T. Miller with 08:39 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Mika Zibanejad and Urho Vaakanainen.

New York: 1
New York: 4#NYRvsNYI #Isles #NYR pic.twitter.com/uxQePCBh4x

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) February 26, 2025

Though they weren’t exclusively linemates, it’s clear Zibanejad and Miller thrived playing together. Zibanejad shared that opinion with Sullivan when the new coach traveled to Sweden for a face-to-face meeting not long after he was hired by the Rangers.

“As part of that conversation one of the things he expressed to me is even though he lined up on the wing on the face-offs, he felt they were interchangeable in the sense that they could read off each other,” Sullivan explained. “They both have a comfort level playing down low in the defensive zone. They both have a comfort level in the face-off circle with one being a righty and one being a lefty. He expressed that to me.”

Related: Key takeaways from 1st Mike Sullivan press conference as Rangers coach, including ‘partnership’ with GM Chris Drury

Rangers have ‘three high-quality centermen’ and must make important lineup decisions​

Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

Getting Zibanejad situated is the first major domino to put into place at training camp. Once the 32-year-old is settled on a line, the rest of the forward line combinations can take shape.

Should Sullivan keep Zibanejad and Miller on the same line, the Rangers would load up in their top six and face serious questions about how to fill out the bottom six, specifically the third line. Juuso Parssinen and Jonny Brodzinski are the top candidates to center the third line in this lineup. Taylor Raddysh, Brennan Othmann, Gabe Perreault, Brett Berard, and Conor Sheary are among the options to play on the wings of the third line.

Related: Rangers concern meter: Weighing potential issues for 2025-26 season

One of Parssinen or Brodzinski could also play on the wing, and Sam Carrick could move up from the fourth line to be the 3C. However, he’s likely best suited on the fourth line between the towering duo of Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom.

Perhaps putting left wing Will Cuylle on the third line would help balance the lineup. But coming off his first 20-goal season, it feels like Cuylle is ticketed for a top-six role.

If Sullivan spreads out his centers, the Rangers could be among the deepest teams down the middle in the NHL, with Miller, Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck as their top three, along with Carrick.

“Those are three pretty high-quality centermen,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s going to play itself out, but certainly the conversations I’ve had with Mika to this point I would envision us exploring keeping Mika with J.T.”

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...xploring-mika-zibanejad-j-t-miller-same-line/