CANADIAN DIVISION WOULD PRODUCE THRILLING HOCKEY

In four short weeks, the Montreal Canadiens traded for Joel Edmundson, Jake Allen and Josh Anderson, signed Tyler Toffoli to a below-market contract, and locked up Brendan Gallagher for an additional six years.

To many, they won the off-season. To some, they took a giant leap toward being a Stanley Cup contender.

But is a team that was 10 points back of a wild card spot when commissioner Gary Bettman expanded the post-season from 16 to 24 teams now a lock to be in the playoffs?

Are the Habs better than the Panthers, who finished with the fourth-best record in the Atlantic Division? Are they better than the Hurricanes, Islanders, Blue Jackets and Rangers, who were separated by two points for the final two wild-card spots? Are they even better than the Sabres, who finished with one less win than the Habs but now have Taylor Hall and Eric Staal?

Maybe a more appropriate question is whether Montreal is better than Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg?

After all, with COVID-19 cases still spiking, it's looking more and more likely that if an NHL season is going to be played this winter, it will be played with American teams on one side of the border and Canadian teams on the other, with little to no crossover.

Forget about being one of the top three teams in the Atlantic, Pacific or Central Division. According to a bombshell dropped by Vegas owner Bill Foley, who in a recent radio interview leaked that the league was contemplating an all-Canadian division, teams now might have to be among the top three or four in the country in order to get into the playoffs.

“They're going to play in the Canadian division this year,” Foley told KSHP Radio Las

Vegas' Hockey Hotline when asked if he was worried about trading Nate Schmidt within the division to Vancouver.

“I don't think that border's going to be open before Jan. 1. I really don't, because Canada's got spikes going on, they're starting to lock down again. Winnipeg's locking down. Quebec has got spikes going down.

“I think they're going to play in a Canadian division. I don't think they're going to cross the border.”

There were some other tidbits that Foley leaked, including the idea that the NHL might push back the start of the season from Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 and that an 82-game schedule would probably be considerably scaled back. But it's the all-Canadian division that could have the biggest implications from a ratings and a competitive standpoint.

It's also the thing that fans should be the most excited about.

Imagine seeing Connor McDavid versus Auston Matthews more than twice a year. Imagine seeing the Tkachuk brothers going up against each other on a weekly basis. Imagine Montreal, with its new-found size on the wings and on the back end, clashing with a Vancouver team that's all about speed and skill.

Imagine the rivalries. The Battles of Alberta and Ontario would now become the Battle of Canada. It would bring a CFL flavour to the NHL, with the East pitted against the West, not just for bragging rights — but also for playoff spots.

The ratings for Rogers Sportsnet, which has lost so many viewers over the years because of the lack of Canadian content in the later rounds of the post-season, would go through the roof.

As for the actual on-ice product, it might just be the best hockey we've ever seen.

Look around the country. The best players in the world are playing in Canada. Toronto has Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares; Edmonton has McDavid and Leon Draisaitl; Vancouver has Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes; Montreal has Carey Price and Shea Weber; Calgary has Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk; Winnipeg has Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck.

You have to go back to the 1980s to find an era where Canadian teams have been this good, this talented.

Who are the top three or four Canadian teams? A couple of years ago, you could barely find two teams that were worthy of being a Stanley Cup contender. But now, the list goes five or six deep.

Edmonton had the ninth-most points when the regular season was cancelled in March. Toronto and Winnipeg were ranked 12th and 15th overall. Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver might not have made the playoffs by sheer points in the standings, but they were the only ones who actually qualified for the playoffs after winning their qualifying series.

And guess what? With the exception of Ottawa, which remains in a rebuilding mode, almost all of them got significantly better this year.

Is Toronto, which beefed up its defence by signing Calgary free agent TJ Brodie and got bigger and tougher with the acquisitions of Wayne Simmonds and Zach Bogosian, now Canada's No. 1 favourite?

Or is it Vancouver, which lost goalie Jacob Markstrom, defenceman Chris Tanev and top-six forward Toffoli from the team that advanced to the second round of the playoffs, but now has Braden Holtby in net and Schmidt on the back end?

Maybe Calgary should be the favourite, considering the Flames improved their goaltending with the addition of Markstrom.

Or Edmonton, which finally found a No. 3 centre in Kyle Turris and a top-four defenceman in Tyson Barrie.

Or Winnipeg, which now has someone to pass the puck to Patrik Laine after adding Paul Stastny.

Maybe the Habs knew that it wasn't good enough to be one of the top eight teams in the conference. Maybe this year, it's more important to be one of the top four in the country.

If so, it isn't going to be easy.

I don't think that border's going to be open before Jan. 1. ... I think they're going to play in a Canadian division. I don't think they're going to cross the border.