RE: Houston could be next NHL expansion city
Being from Houston, I'd love to see an NHL there. I went to tons of Aeros games in the 90s/00s. I was at every cup championship and I think it would draw well. Obviously, not Northern or Canadian city well but still good. I wouldn't be surprised of Arizona or Florida lost their franchises. The Coyotes and Panthers have had their names on the chopping block for a little while. The Carolina Hurricanes have too but I like them so I refuse to include them.
What about something like this? Expansion to Houston as #32. Arizona Coyotes move to Seattle. Florida Panthers move to Quebec. Houston would use the Aeros name. Seattle would have a choice as I've heard Metropolitans (previous NHL name), Seattle Pilots (previous MLB name), and the Seattle Kraken (fan name which I think is pretty cool) among others. Quebec would re-up the Nordiques.
Here's how I would do the conferences and divisions: 4 conferences of 8, with 2 divisions per conference. The playoffs stay at 16 with each of the 8 division champions plus the next best 8. #1 vs #16, #2 vs. #15, etc. The best division champ in each conference gets either a #1 or #2 seed. The other division champ gets either a #3 or #4 seed.
I used great hockey player names (not necessarily in the region of the league they played; more for memorialization)
Gretzky Conference
West: Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets
East: Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Quebec Nordiques
Howe Conference
Pacific: Seattle Kraken, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks
Southwest: Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Houston Aeros
Orr Conference
Midwest: Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues
Southeast: Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning
Lemieux Conference
Mideast: Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals
Northeast: New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins
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