The best solution IMO, if they really want to shake things up, is to do away with division all together. Play two conferences of 15, East/West. 4 games vs. every other team in conference(2 home/2 away) for 56 games. 2 games vs. the other conference(1 home/1 away) for a grand total of 86 games. Only four more games on the schedule and you get a more balanced regular season, and therefore a more accurate seeding. EAST: Florida, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Boston, Montréal, Toronto, Ottawa, Columbus, Buffalo WEST: Dallas, St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, San Jose, Los Angeles, Colorado, Phoenix, Anaheim, Nashville As far as rivalries go, 4 games a year(not counting playoffs) is plenty. Most soccer leagues around the world play perfectly balanced schedules with only 2 games a year vs. every other team, and those rivalries seem to do just fine(and they don't have playoffs).