NHLPA Blocks Proposed Realignment Plan

NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr has announced that the NHLPA has blocked the NHL's proposed realignment plan. | Tim Sloan/Getty Images

By: Tyler J. Altemose (@TJamesAltemose)

The proposed NHL realignment plan set to go into effect starting with the 2012-13 season has been blocked by the NHLPA.

The plan, proposed on December 5^th by the NHL, was most recently discussed between the League and the NHLPA on January 1 during an Executive Board conference call. The League set today’s date as the deadline for the NHLPA to provide its consent on the issue.

The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) Executive Director Don Fehr explained in a written statement today that two player concerns regarding realignment ultimately affected their decision to block the plan.

The first issue the NHLPA raised with the proposed realignment plan regarded travel. The NHLPA requested that the NHL provide them with a sample of the proposed 2012-13 schedule in order to evaluate its effect on several teams in the current Western Conference. However, the League refused to do so. Mr. Fehr added the following regarding the issue of travel under the new plan:

“The travel estimation data we received from the League indicates that many of the current Pacific and Central teams, that have demanding travel schedules under the current format, could see their travel become even more difficult.”

The other issue raised by the NHLPA was the proposed playoff format of the realignment plan. According to Mr. Fehr, the issue with the proposed playoff format involved “the disparity in chances of making the playoffs between the smaller and larger divisions.”

Under the proposed playoff layout, the top four teams in each conference would qualify for the playoffs. The first- and fourth-place teams, as well as the second- and third-place teams in each conference, would play in the first round. The four conference champions would emerge in the third round with the winners competing for the Stanley Cup. The issue of how the conference champions would be reseeded remained an issue of contention.

The problem according to the NHLPA is that the “western” conferences (that being the two conferences comprised of teams from the western United States and Canada) each have eight teams; the “eastern” conferences each have seven teams. This means that, statistically, each of the “eastern” conference teams stand a better chance of making the playoffs because four of the seven teams will qualify for the playoffs as opposed to only half of the teams in the “western” conferences.

Although the NHLPA blocked the proposed realignment plan, Mr. Fehr expressed the Players’ Association’s willingness to continue further discussions on the issue.

You can read the full statement from Mr. Fehr on behalf of the NHLPA here.