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Ed Snider says “total realignment” is on the way

2011 Hockey Hall Of Fame Induction

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 14: Philadelphia’s Bill Barber and Ed Snider walk the red carpet prior to the 2011 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at the Hockey Hall Of Fame on November 14, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Flyers chairman Ed Snider is a man who would know things and he tells CSNPhilly.com’s Tim Panaccio that total realignment is on its way to the NHL.

What Snider means by that is that he believes the NHL will adopt a four conference setup, much like has been discussed already, only this time around he says that all traditional rivals will be kept together including the Flyers and Penguins.

In case you’d forgotten, the last realignment proposal that was leaked had the two in different divisions meaning they wouldn’t play each other quite so often, a solution that had both teams upset about things.

So where does that bring things? CBC’s Elliotte Friedman wrote in his 30 Thoughts column that when the GMs get together in early December they’ll have plenty to chew on about realignment. They’ll also discuss a potential change to how the playoffs are handled. One proposal has it so that the final four teams would be re-seeded so the top team would face the worst of the four regardless of conference. It’s curious, but tough to see teams buying into that one enough to approve it.

If teams are broken up in four conferences with a balanced schedule, however, and not broken up necessarily by East and West, just about anything can go. We could be in for a bold new future.