NHL reportedly finalizes new divisions for 2021 season

Featuring the all-Canadian division!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
NHL reportedly finalizes new divisions for 2021 season
Zuma Press

According to TSN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun the NHL has settled on division re-alignment for the upcoming 2021 season, with the obvious reservation being that thanks to the uncertainty of COVID-19 that it is subject to change. 

With that being said, here's how the re-alignment shakes out:



So if we're giving these names, we have the

Northeast Division:

Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Washington Capitals

South Central Division:

Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
Florida Panthers
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
Tampa Bay Lightning

Western Division:

Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
Vegas Golden Knights

Canadian Division:

Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets

I gotta say... I love it. 

The Lightning are going to absolutely feast on that South Central Division though. Ditto for the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Division. The Canadian Division might be the toughest though. Where would you rank a team like the Vancouver Canucks who appeared to take a step forward last season? They'll be in much tougher in this division than they would have been in the Pacific Division last season. Keep in mind the team made the Stanley Cup Qualifying Round simply by points percentage. With their new divisional rivals, they could be in tough.

And don't expect other 2020 Stanley Cup Playoff Qualifying teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers to glide by this season either. All of these teams will be in tough to secure a playoff spot in 2021.