Announcement of an important change to come in the NHL? It would have a direct impact on the Montreal Canadiens and their rivals

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MarcO
December 16, 2022 (3:09 PM)

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We all remember the first few seasons after the NHL lockout in 2004-05, when officials thought it would be a good idea for divisional teams to play each other eight times a year in an attempt to maximize rivalries. Of course, this meant that there were far fewer intra-divisional clashes as we were used to seeing.

But new information gives the impression that fans had better get ready to start seeing a lot more divisional opponents. As we all know, the NHL has been doing everything it can to maximize revenue streams in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of games in March and April 2020. Fans had to put up with ads on player helmets (and some team uniforms), as well as new digital ads superimposed on the boards during television presentations.

And now, the league may be looking to maximize its profits by drastically altering team schedules starting next season.

This is what the website Sportico reports:

"Team owners and executives recently discussed efforts to create more games between geographic rivals and ultimately generate more money.

Starting next season, teams like Edmonton and Calgary (and Boston as well as Montreal) could play up to eight games against each other, rather than the current three.

The idea behind this change was partially reinforced by the 2020-21 NHL season disrupted by the COVID, when the league redesigned the four divisions."

The flip side of that and that we may see less of the Western teams in this new format. We may only see Connor McDavid once in two years in Montreal.

On the other hand, the idea of playing the Leafs, Bruins and Senators, to name a few, is appealing.

This season, the CH has only faced these teams on 3 (Boston) or 4 (Ottawa and Toronto) occasions. The first game against the Bruins will not take place until next January... This is news that could have a direct impact on the Montreal Canadiens.

Do you like the idea? Would you like to see the NHL officially announce these changes and have our Habs face their direct rivals much more often?