Sharks Gameday: The New Pacific

I hope you guys like playing the Coyotes, because the Sharks get to do it three more times this season.The 1st and 2nd place teams in the Pacific clash today at six, and if one team could happen to sweep all three games it would make a huge difference in the final standings. The NHL schedule-makers did a hell of a job here.

Are the Coyotes going to move to Winnipeg or what? I don't really follow that story, so just hear bits and pieces of it. Last year I thought the whole situation had been resolved so that the team would probably stay in Phoenix, but now it's sounding like the team might move? What's going on?

If the Coyotes do move to the worst city in Canada, the Pacific division will need to be reorganized. Look at that map up there, with the arrow I skillfully added showing the Coyotes moving to Winnipeg: obviously something would need to be done.

(As an aside, looking at that map makes me furious at how easy all the Eastern teams have it when it comes to travel. The fact that the Western Conference has been consistently better than the East for years despite the travel handicap, and that the Pacific division, which might have it the hardest on the travel front, is clearly the best division in the league...well, it brings a tear of pride to my eye.)

Anyways, what do you guys think would happen to the divisions? We'd probably get Colorado back in the Pacific, right? That's okay, since they suck. We need at least one bad team in the division. 

Moving Vancouver into the Pacific is another possibility, since they are in the Pacific time zone. That would be rough because they're a really good team, but it would be good for the California teams because 1) they wouldn't have to leave the Pacific time zone as much and 2) it would really screw over both Vancouver and Dallas when it comes to travel.

Everything would be better if we could somehow kick Dallas out of the division. Looking at the map, you can see a logical division developing with California, Colorado, and Vancouver. Then you could have Calgary, Edmonton, the Winnipeg Coyotes, Minnesota, and stupid Dallas. It doesn't make much geographical sense for Dallas, but it's their own damn fault for being in Texas and ruining everything.

Prediction: Sharks win 5-1 and chase the Coyotes completely out of the United States. Goals by some dudes.