Eastern Conference:
Atlantic Div: NYI, NYR, NJ, Phi, Was, Car, Fla, TB
Northeast Div: Bos, Mon, Ott, Buf, Tor, Det, Colb, Pit

Western Conference:
Central Div: Nas, Chi, StL, Min, Win, Dal, Colr
Pacific Div: Edm, Cal, Van, Pho, Ana, LA, SJ

The Atlantic is the current Atlantic, minus Pittsburgh, a team not really on the Atlantic, plus the 4 former Southeastern teams that are on or close to the coast. Similar to the Atlantic of 1993-1998.

The Northeast is just the current Northeast, plus Detroit and Columbus from the West, and Pittsburgh, which was a Northeast team from 1993-1998. Thus Toronto would be with its 3 main rivals (Ott, Buf, Det), and Columbus and Pittsburgh could start a new rivalry. Recall there would be plenty of interdivision games, so Pittsburgh and Philly would still play probably 4 games a year.

The Central is the teams in the Central time zone, plus Colorado.

The Pacific is the teams in the Pacific and Mountain time zones, minus Colorado. If Phoenix moves to Kansas City, which has a new, unused arena and more of a demand for hockey than does Phoenix, then KC and Colorado would switch divisions, and the Pacific would look exactly as it did from 1995-1998.

To help the Western teams, the schedule in the West would be unbalanced, but the East, balanced.

Assure that each team plays each team in the other conference home-and-home every year, like it always was. Let the superstarts be seen everywhere.

Take the top 4 in each division, the first round would be within the division, but the second round would re-seed 1-4 by conference.

Bettman’s plan actually has Det/Colb/Pit switched with NYR/NYI/NJ. So the New York-area teams are grouped with Toronto, but Detroit wouldn’t be! A travesty! And Phi wouldn’t be grouped with the NY-area teams! Another travesty!

Do it as I have it above and everyone’s happy.