Music: {allcanada} Realignment debate: Quick fix or major shakeup

When NHL owners meet Monday in Pebble Beach, Calif., to discuss realignment, the solution might come down to how much pain franchises are willing to endure.

"What's good for the Nashville Predators may not be good for the other 14 teams (in the conference)," general manager David Poile said. "This is a situation where you would hope teams would vote for what's in the best interest of the NHL."

Realignment is on the table because the Atlanta franchise became the Winnipeg Jets this season, and they don't fit in either the Southeast Division or the Eastern Conference.

Owners must decide if they want to opt for a simple solution involving two or three teams, or embrace a comprehensive change that would tidy up several problems around the conference. What makes that challenge complicated is that a two-thirds majority (20 of the 30 NHL teams) must agree to pass any realignment.

One proposal to be discussed is going from six divisions to four. The new divisions would have geographic logic, such as Pacific and Mountain time zone teams lumped together and Central teams in another.

"There seems to be a misconception out there that the league is advocating a position," said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. "We are not."

He said league officials will be guided by the sentiment they hear as owners debate whether they want a simple or complex solution. "Then we will drill down from there," Daly said.

This will be the first realignment since 1998-99 when the NHL shifted the Toronto Maple Leafs to the East and changed from four divisions to six to pave the way for expansion.

If owners embrace the four-division concept, it likely would include divisional playoffs and a minimum of a home-and-home schedule against non-division teams.

"We've run the numbers and there will be a significant increase in travel costs with the home-and-home format," Toronto Maple Leafs president Brian Burke said. "Other teams have estimated at half of million dollars, but depending upon how many trips, it could be a million dollars."

To make the four-division concept work, two divisions would have eight teams and two would have seven. The fairness of that setup will be debated, although there is precedent for some divisions having more teams. In 1997-98, the 26-team league had two ivisions of seven teams and two of six.

The four-division concept, if passed now, would seemingly set up the NHL to add two expansion teams, although the league has no plans to expand.

The simple solution would be to move Winnipeg to the West and move one team to the Eastern Conference. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings are the only Eastern time zone teams in the West.

"We want to be in the East, but we are prepared to stay in the West if you give us home and away with everyone," Detroit general manager Ken Holland said. "The (schedule) matrix is important to us."

The Red Wings have long disliked their travel schedule, and the fact that many road games are on too late for fans.

It's presumed, as a general rule, that Eastern teams like the current conference setup, and Western teams would prefer a four-division alignment, although no one seems sure how the voting will shake out. "More than the cost, I'm worried about the wear and tear on the players," Burke said.

If the league embraces a home-and-home schedule for all teams, it will mean lengthier road trips. Players say it is easier to be an Eastern Conference player than a Western one.

"I didn't know it was like that until I went to Calgary and it was a huge difference," said Red Wings defenseman Ian White. "Then when I went to San Jose there is even more travel. Now here in Detroit, I'm hardly ever in my own time zone."

Through the years, some free agents have been influenced in picking teams based on how much teams have to travel.

"With all the time you spend traveling, your body never seems like it's on the same schedule," White said. "It seems like you are always going across three time zones, and all of the time spent in the air can't be good for your body."

If the NHL moves Winnipeg to West, there isn't a perfect fit. The Jets would fit better in the Northwest Division than the Central. But if they take the Minnesota Wild's place in the Northwest, the Colorado Avalanche probably wouldn't want to be the only American team in that division. Also, the Dallas Stars want to get out of the Pacific Division because all of its division opponents are in a different time zone. Even the simple solution has complications.

League officials had targeted the December meeting for settling realignment, but if there is too much debate, the board of governors meet again at the All-Star Game in January.

One four-division example


Pacific, Mountain	Central, East	East I	East II

Anaheim	Chicago	Boston	Carolina

Calgary	Dallas	Buffalo	Florida

Colorado	Detroit*	Columbus*	New Jersey

Edmonton	Minnesota	Montreal	N.Y. Islanders

Los Angeles	Nashville	Ottawa	N.Y. Rangers

Phoenix	St. Louis	Pittsburgh	Philadelphia

San Jose	Winnipeg	Toronto	Tampa Bay

Vancouver			Washington



*-Detroit and Columbus could swap positions