NHL realignment changes little for 2013-14 San Jose Sharks

The natural rivalry that exists between the Bay Area and Southern California would make any two teams of these regions want to beat the other a little more. The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings have also been in the same division every season they have both been in the NHL.If that is not enough, the Sharks eliminated the Kings in six games during the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. Then Los Angeles got revenge of sorts by winning the championship the next season with San Jose's former coach and general manager.The San Jose Sharks have not been anywhere near the complete team they thought they were in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. Then the Vancouver Canucks dispatched of them in five games, leaving them feeling cheated by the officials in one game and by luck in another.Nothing fuels a fire like a playoff loss that should not have been lopsided. But the Sharks also lost three of four to the Canucks in the regular seasons on either side of the playoffs, with eight losses being by a goal.Add to that Vancouver's style of play and success that has rubbed every Western Conference rival the wrong way, and they are already a bigger rival than many Pacific Division teams.The Calgary Flames eliminated the San Jose Sharks in six games in the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs. The tables were turned on them in a physical seven-game, first-round series in 2008.Those series already make these teams rivals as far as they can be with the Flames years from the last time they were relevant. Their regular season series often have the feel of a rivalry despite the imbalanced comparison of the teams of late.View the list »
The Phoenix Coyotes celebrate winning the 2011-12 Pacific Division title

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NHL realignment cleared its last hurdle late Thursday, March 14 when it was passed by the board of governors. The San Jose Sharks are in the division currently called Division A that is comprised of the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and everyone but the Dallas Stars from the current Pacific Division.

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Every team on the list but Edmonton includes the history to make developing a rivalry easy.

The Sharks will play four games against one rotating division opponent and five against the other five each season. They then play one on the road and one at home against all Eastern Conference teams and three games against the other Western Conference division.

Travel is also not reduced appreciably because the lost trip to both Columbus and Detroit along with one or two per year to Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Nashville and Minnesota—all still two time zones away—are offset. There are more trips to other Eastern Conference teams, plus Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary replace short trips to Anaheim, Los Angeles and Phoenix.

With Vancouver and Edmonton joining the division, it may appear that San Jose will have to become faster. However, they will gain no more than one game per year against those teams while losing one game per year against Colorado, Chicago, St. Louis and other current Western Conference teams that skate well. At the same time, they will gain a few games against fast teams in the current Eastern Conference.

It will take a detailed analysis by San Jose's management to determine those tweaks. One thing they will have to change is their secondary scoring. Almost every team in the division is strong on the back end (blue line and goalie), and you cannot always count on your line match-ups to free a scoring line from tough defenders—especially on the road.

But then, that problem is also prevalent now, and for the same reason.

The top three teams from each division will make the playoffs, plus the two other teams in the conference with most points. Those two teams are considered wild card teams, and the lower one in the standings plays the higher-seeded division winner and vice-versa.

Through that point, there is no fundamental change to the playoff format. But the second and third place teams in each division play each other, assuring some deepening rivalries and reduced travel for some teams—ironically not division winners—each April.

For instance, in 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs would have been drastically altered. Assuming every team had finished with the same record despite vastly different schedules, the Ottawa Senators would not have made the playoffs, but the Flames would have. Their first-round opponent would almost certainly have advanced and been a healthier team in the second round, possibly changing the outcome of the entire tournament.

The Sharks would have played a Phoenix Coyotes team that was weaker than the Blues, but one that dominated them almost as much in the regular season. As much as many of these changes by themselves are barely significant, there are significant differences that will alter many teams' approach to the 2013-14 season that is the first under the realignment: Detroit is gone from the Western Conference Stanley Cup playoff dynamic and teams are more likely to play divisional foes in the first round.

This only makes it more logical for the San Jose Sharks to move in a new direction when a combination of expiring contracts, aging players and salary cap restraints will force some changes. That probably makes the Sharks more likely to be buyers at the trade deadline, giving the remaining roster one more chance. Those who are either traded or becoming free agents will thus be out of the way for the rebuild.

View the list
  • The Calgary Flames eliminated the San Jose Sharks in six games in the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs. The tables were turned on them in a physical seven-game, first-round series in 2008.Those series already make these teams rivals as far as they can be with the Flames years from the last time they were relevant. Their regular season series often have the feel of a rivalry despite the imbalanced comparison of the teams of late.
  • The San Jose Sharks have not been anywhere near the complete team they thought they were in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. Then the Vancouver Canucks dispatched of them in five games, leaving them feeling cheated by the officials in one game and by luck in another.Nothing fuels a fire like a playoff loss that should not have been lopsided. But the Sharks also lost three of four to the Canucks in the regular seasons on either side of the playoffs, with eight losses being by a goal.Add to that Vancouver's style of play and success that has rubbed every Western Conference rival the wrong way, and they are already a bigger rival than many Pacific Division teams.
  • The natural rivalry that exists between the Bay Area and Southern California would make any two teams of these regions want to beat the other a little more. The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings have also been in the same division every season they have both been in the NHL.If that is not enough, the Sharks eliminated the Kings in six games during the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. Then Los Angeles got revenge of sorts by winning the championship the next season with San Jose's former coach and general manager.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have the same regional and divisional rivalries that the Los Angeles Kings have with the San Jose Sharks.They also have a playoff match-up, dispatching the President's Trophy winners in the first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. And while they did not use any of San Jose's people to win their championship, it was the first West Coast title.
  • The San Jose Sharks have not had any playoff series to deepen their division rivalry with the Phoenix. They also have not been in the same division for their entire existence, but the break was only from 1993-94 through 1997-98. The cities are close enough to provide a regional component.
  • Like the Calgary Flames, the Edmonton Oilers were only in the same division as the San Jose Sharks for seven seasons. However, they have never played in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The closest thing they have to an add any ire was in 2010 when Dany Heatley vetoed a trade to Northern Canada and came to Northern California instead.
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, San Jose Sharks Examiner

Former community leader and featured columnist for the San Jose Sharks on Bleacher Report, MJ has been covering the Bay Area's most successful team for over four years. You may have seen MJ's work featured on Yahoo, CBS Sports and Fox Sports websites as well as numerous other places that cover...

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