Sharks could shuffle off to toughest NHL division
SAN JOSc >> The Sharks might be in the toughest division in hockey if the NHL season is able to get started next month.
Thanks to the closure of the U. S.- Canada border, the Sharks could be placed in a new division with the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars this season, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. The Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings, all traditional rivals of the Sharks, would also be in the division.
The Blues, Golden Knights, Avalanche and Stars were the top four teams in the Western Conference last season in terms of points percentage. The Sharks, at a .450 points percentage, were
15th and last. Vegas and Dallas met in the Western Conference final in September, with the Stars winning in five games.
The divisions would have to be realigned if the Canadian border remains closed to nonessential travel. So the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, who have been in the same division as the Sharks since the 2013-14 season, will likely be in an all- Canadian division with the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto
Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.
Also, per LeBrun, Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington would be in one division, and Carolina, Columbus, Detroit, Chicago, Florida, Minnesota, Nashville and Tampa Bay would be in another.
So, the Sharks say goodbye to Connor McDavid and Elias Pettersson for now. Here comes what may be a steady dose of Nathan MacKinnon, Ryan O’Reilly and Joe Pavelski.
“There are a lot of things
we have to do to return to play,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday at the Maccabi USA Sports Show. “For us to return to play, we’re not going to play 82 games, obviously, and we have travel issues because of the restrictions at the border between Canada and the U.S. You can’t go back and forth, so we’re actually going to have to realign.
“If everything stays the way it is, we’re probably going to have to have a Canadian division and realign in the U.S., and we’re trying to focus on dealing with all of those challenges.”
The realigned divisions
are not finalized and would still need approval from the NHL’s Board of Governors.
Like the Sharks, the Golden Knights, Blues, Stars and Avalanche have all undergone changes since last season.
Vegas added free agent defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who moved on from St. Louis, and signed goalie Robin Lehner to a five-year contract, but also traded center Paul Stastny and defenseman Nate Schmidt. The Golden Knights are also reportedly shopping Max Pacioretty to help become compliant under the NHL’s salary cap for this season.
The Blues added defenseman Torey Krug in free agency and traded backup goalie Jake Allen to Montreal. The Stars may be without goalie Ben Bishop and forward Tyler Seguin until March or later after both had offseason surgery. The Avalanche added forward Brandon Saad and defensemen Devon Toews and Dennis Gilbert via trade.
The league, reportedly, is now targeting Jan. 13 as a start date to a 56-game regular season, although that could change depending on the trajectory of coronavirus cases.
While the Canadianbased teams will likely
only be allowed to play each other, it is unclear whether the U. S.- based squads — in an effort to help reduce travel costs — will only play teams within their own division. If teams only play divisional opponents, the Sharks would likely play all seven teams in their division eight times.
The Sharks still do not know where they will be able to hold training camp, or if they’ll be able to play games at SAP Center this season. Santa Clara County has a physical contact ban in effect at least until Dec. 21, and a shelter-in-place order could last until early January.