More NHL Expansion?! Who Would Be the New Rivals in the Pacific?

Rumblings have emerged about potential NHL expansion. Who would be Vegas's new division rivals? What would the new landscape look like?

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There have been quiet rumblings about potential NHL expansion. It's something the Vegas Golden Knights know well, who went on a historic run in their inaugural year. Part of that has come from Kevin Weekes, who has stirred the pot.

These rumblings have given new life to more cities to the thought of more North American hockey. But when is expansion too much?

That being said, let's set the limit for the NHL. 40 teams altogether, with 20 per conference, makes sense. There isn't a relegation system in place... yet. That might be something the NHL will look into in the future.

With that, it's time to expand our horizons and add more hypothetical teams to the National Hockey League. Let's tap into our inner Gary Bettman and see which cities will get teams and who will be Vegas's rivals.

1. Why the NHL Can Do More Expansion

Houston Marks Anniversary Of Hurricane Harvey
Houston Marks Anniversary Of Hurricane Harvey / Loren Elliott/GettyImages

While the NFL has had similar rumblings, the NHL has one distinct advantage: a larger talent pool. I know what you're thinking:

"The NFL is the largest league in North America! How can this be?"

Here's how.

Most NFL players are American, so pulling talent from a singular pool dilutes it quickly. While the NFL is making efforts to expand globally, it's still a predominately American game. The NHL can pull talent from countries such as Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Canada (of course).

Plus, the NHL has two countries they can tap into for expansion. Having both the United States and Canada gives it an advantage, with markets such as Quebec City, Houston, and Atlanta being targeted. The NFL doesn't have that yet, and their prospects of going to England are a ways away.

2. Let's Set the Western Conference Up

Nashville Predators v Vegas Golden Knights
Nashville Predators v Vegas Golden Knights / Ethan Miller/GettyImages

This took a bit to work around. You want to keep original rivalries afloat while appeasing specific teams. Plus, these moves must make geographical sense. You'd want a northwestern division, a Pacific division, and such.

Each division will play non-division opponents twice (one home, one away), excluding neighboring divisions, where it'll be two home games and two road games per team. The rest are division games. The formatting would go as follows for neighboring divisions.

  1. Pacific+Northwest
  2. Southwest+Central
  3. Eastern Canada+Northeast
  4. Atlantic+Southeast

So let's start off in the Western Conference since it was MUCH easier to make.

Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks

Los Angeles Kings

San Diego Surfers

San Jose Sharks

Vegas Golden Knights

The San Diego Gulls, the AHL affiliate for the Anaheim Ducks, has had success with hockey. They drew in 9,305 fans in 2017-2018, which showcases the potential success of an NHL franchise.

Plus, there have been rumblings of an NHL franchise with Stan Kroenke investing in Midway Rising Development. The Los Angeles Rams owner has more than enough money to his name, with $15.7 billion to spend.

As for the Vegas Golden Knights, it creates a new rivalry. Now, you have Vegas going up against another California team. Plus, Golden Knight fans will want to trek down to San Diego for a hockey game. Road trip!

Northwest Division

Calgary Flames

Edmonton Oilers

Seattle Kraken

Utah Coyotes

Vancouver Canucks

With the Arizona Coyotes in constant relocation limbo, rumors have circulated of their next destination. The location? Salt Lake City. The state of Utah has experienced tremendous growth and its capital would make for a solid location.

As for the other teams, the rivalries would remain intact. Seattle and Vancouver would battle for the Cascades while the Oilers and Flames duke it out for Alberta. All we need are some firs and pines and we're set.

Southwest Division

Colorado Avalanche

Dallas Stars

Houston Jets

Kansas City Scouts

St. Louis Blues

Finally! Another Texas team to accompany the Dallas Stars! Tilman Fertitta has ramped up talks with the NHL to bring a hockey team to Houston. With the past success of the Aeros, it makes sense to finally create a southwestern division.

In this case, let's assume the Winnipeg Jets get relocated... again. There are attendance issues that are concerning for the Jets, after all. Plus, it's a known conspiracy theory that Gary Bettman hates Canada. Fertitta would move the Jets out of their bandbox arena, the Canada Life Centre and the team would go down to Space City.

On top of that, St. Louis gets an in-state rival, too. With the addition of Kansas City, there will be plenty of Show Me State action going on in Missouri. Maybe bring back the Scouts name?

Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks

Detroit Red Wings

Milwaukee Freeze

Minnesota Wild

Nashville Predators

If the Winnipeg Jets don't relocate after their drama, you can pencil them into this division and move Detroit to the Eastern Conference. In the meantime, DETROIT AND CHICAGO ARE IN THE SAME DIVISION AGAIN!

I know Detroit fans will whine and moan about having to go out west again. However, divisional play is the main focus of this expansion, where the Red Wings would still have two West Coast trips a season. C'mon, Red Wings fans. You missed the Blackhawks and Chelsea Dagger.

3. Let's Set the Eastern Conference Up

Entrance to the Scotiabank Arena Gallery at night. The...
Entrance to the Scotiabank Arena Gallery at night. The... / Roberto Machado Noa/GettyImages

With the West set, it's time to look at the Eastern Conference. Home to numerous hockey bluebloods, it was tough arranging the pieces around to make everything fit. Still, we managed to make it work. Here's how the Eastern Conference would play out.

Eastern Canada Division

Hamilton Aviators

Montreal Canadiens

Ottawa Senators

Quebec Nordiques

Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto has always been the talk of a second team, yet that's never come to fruition. Have no fear because Hamilton's here. Well, Hamilton isn't in Toronto. But it's close enough to make it work. As for the name, it's in honor of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.

Also, bonjour, Quebec Nordiques. Comment allez-vous? While the Montreal Canadiens lose a good rivalry with the Boston Bruins, they regain an old foe in the Nordiques. C'est tres bien!

Metropolitan Division

Boston Bruins

Hartford Whalers

New Jersey Devils

New York Islanders

New York Rangers

While the Bruins lose the Montreal Canadiens as their divisional rival, a classic city rivalry is revived. In fact, it's an Original Six rivalry, where the New York Rangers have Boston in their division. Also, Hartford is back! Cue the "Brass Bonanza!"

Essentially, this is the "New York" division, with the Bruins and Devils. This is a fun division with quality rivalries. You can't go wrong with giving the Rangers more rivals to play with, especially if they're as big as the "Big Apple."

Atlantic Division

Buffalo Sabres

Cleveland Sky

Columbus Blue Jackets

Philadelphia Flyers

Pittsburgh Penguins

Now this division doesn't seem like much. But you have the two Keystone State teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. You also have two Buckeye State teams in Cleveland and Columbus. Then, you have... the Buffalo Sabres.

Now, this would have been Pittsburgh's division back in the day. However, it's anybody's game if it happened today. If Buffalo could get some goaltending or Columbus would stop being anonymous, the Atlantic Division would have some wings.

Southeast Division

Atlanta Thrashers

Carolina Hurricanes

Florida Panthers

Tampa Bay Lightning

Washington Capitals

Welcome back, Southeast Division of the late 1990s-2000s! We missed you and watching either the Carolina Hurricanes or Washington Capitals win your division. Of course, this might be one of the more unstable divisions in hockey. You don't know what will happen with the Florida Panthers, despite their success.

That is also a problem with the Atlanta Thrashers (part two), who had attendance issues and ownership problems. However, a potential move to the suburbs will rectify this. Take the Atlanta Braves as an example. They've hit over three million fans in the past two seasons in Cobb County.

4. How This Affects the Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas Golden Knights v San Jose Sharks
Vegas Golden Knights v San Jose Sharks / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages

For one, the Vegas Golden Knights wouldn't have the western Canadian teams in their division. Now, they can chill in Las Vegas and California, playing their divisional games without a hitch. Let's call it... California Dreamin'.

Plus, you'd have the other current Pacific Division teams in your neighboring division. Vegas wouldn't have to leave the Pacific Time Zone much, which would help the Golden Knights rest. No more having to hop over to the Eastern Time Zone, for that's a thing of the past (unless Vegas goes to the Stanley Cup Finals).

In short, this would work nicely for Sin City's hockey team. Considering the NHL is a physical sport that takes a toll on you, you can't deny this would benefit the Golden Knights. After all, there's nothing better than chilling in Sin City, especially if you're a hockey team.

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