It’ll be different than before with realignment shifting Columbus and Detroit East. There will no longer be six divisions with instead 30 teams crammed into four. That includes the renamed Metropolitan Division featuring the Blue Jackets, Capitals and Hurricanes added to the Devils, Flyers, Islanders, Penguins and Rangers. Oddly enough, the Atlantic Division now consists of the Lightning, Panthers and Red Wings added to the Bruins, Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Sabres and Senators.

Out West, the new Central features the Avalanche, Blackhawks, Blues, Jets, Predators,
Stars and Wild while the new Pacific includes the Canucks, Coyotes, Ducks, Flames, Kings, Oilers and Sharks. The realignment favors the West due to two fewer teams in the conference. Don’t ask why they signed off on this. My guess is eventually, the NHL will expand to 32. Possible destinations could be Kansas City, Portland and Seattle.

Under the new realignment format, all 30 teams will play each other at least once. The divisional schedule is a bit different. Division opponents play 30 games. For eight team divisions in the Eastern Conference, that consists of playing two teams five times and the other five four. For example, the Rangers see the Penguins four times. It’ll be a traditional two at home and two away. When they face the Devils and Islanders, the classic trio meet five times with one team getting three home games and two road and vice versa. That includes the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series January 26 and 29 at Yankee Stadium with the Devils and Islanders the home teams.

Inside the conference, teams will play the other division 24 games. For example, the Islanders take on all eight Atlantic opponents three times. Again, it will be odd with three games against each team translating to four teams getting two home games and one road and vice versa. The Devils face the Canadiens three times with Montreal hosting two. It’s the same for the Rangers who’ll visit the Molson Centre twice after hosting them on October 28 in their home opener following a nine-game road trip.

The remaining 28 games are against the opposite conference. For the West, it works out perfectly due to having 14 teams. Not so for the East with 16 creating an uneven distribution. The Rangers see the Canucks twice with John Tortorella returning to MSG November 30. If you include a preseason match at Rogers Arena on September 26, Tortorella and Alain Vigneault will cross paths three times. In what can best be summed up as an April Fool’s joke, the Rangers visit Vancouver on April 1 as part of a four-game Northwestern swing that includes a final stop in Colorado April 3.

In an Olympic season, there will be a 17-day break from February 9 to February 25. Twelve countries will compete in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Olympic hockey begins on Feb.12 and ends Feb.23. Group A includes Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia and the United States. Group B features Austria, Canada, Finland and Norway. Group C consists of Czech Republic, Latvia, Switzerland and Sweden. Germany and Belarus failed to qualify and are replaced by Slovenia and Austria. On paper, Canada looks to have an easy road while our country dukes it out against Russia and Slovakia. Group C is probably the most balanced.

Olympic participation can impact NHL teams. The Rangers should be affected with Henrik Lundqvist representing Sweden and possibly Carl Hagelin while Ryan Callahan, Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan all could represent Team USA. Dan Girardi and Marc Staal should get consideration for Canada while Rick Nash is a given. Anton Stralman might get a look on Sweden and assuming he’s back, Mats Zuccarello will play for Norway. For the Islanders, John Tavares is a lock for Canada and Evgeni Nabokov will play for host Russia. Lubomir Visnovsky should represent Slovakia and Michael Grabner gets a chance with Austria.

The Devils should be represented by Czechs Patrik Elias and Marek Zidlicky. Might Jaromir Jagr join them? There’s no guarantee Martin Brodeur makes Canada. Cory Schneider could be in the mix for USA. Adam Larsson should play for Sweden and Anton Volchenkov Russia. Andy Greene could vie for a spot on the American blueline. Buffalo’s Ryan Miller figures to be part of a strong American goalie trio that includes Jon Quick and Jimmy Howard. Don’t forget Craig Anderson either. Thomas Vanek will represent Austria and Ville Leino probably makes Finland while Henrik Tallinder and Jhonas Enroth could be part of Sweden. Can Tyler Myers rebound?

Teams with strong depth should benefit. Staying healthy will prove vital. The top 12 teams in each conference will be 1-6 seeds with four wildcards. It’s possible for five teams from one division to qualify for the postseason while three make it from the other. What if a sixth team from a stronger Metropolitan gets left out? Not to be redundant, but the new playoff system is flawed. Regardless, it’ll be a return to glory days with two divisional rounds and conference championships deciding who reaches the Stanley Cup Final. No more classic Devils/Rangers series. It’ll be more challenging to make the playoffs. Anything’s possible.