Report: Pittsburgh Penguins Will See Familiar Faces In Division Realignment For 2021 Season
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) -- The Penguins will reportedly see some familiar teams under the NHL's 2021 season divisional realignment.
According to Pierre LeBrun, the Penguins will be in an eight-team division that features the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres. The reported realignment will put the Penguins with selected teams from the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions.
Not finalized yet, and still subject to change, but the 2020-21 four-division re-alignment currently looks like this according to sources:
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 9, 2020
Bos-Buf-NJ-NYI-NYR-Pha-Pgh-Was
Car-CBJ-Det-Chi-Fla-Min-Nas-TB
Ana-Ari-Col-Dal-LA-SJ-STL-VGK
All-Canadian teams
LeBrun is also reporting that there will be an all-Canadian team division. There will be four divisions under the realignment plan for next season, according to LeBrun.
A mid-January start date for the NHL has become more realistic given the number of issues that need to be resolved before players can begin traveling to their home cities, according to the person who spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.
The league and NHL Players' Association still need to agree on a schedule, with the current working plan featuring between 52 and 56 regular-season games. There has also been talk of a buffer being worked into the schedule in the event games are postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the person told the AP.
Under a mid-January start date, players would have to begin reporting after Christmas, followed by a shortened training camp and preseason. The regular season would likely stretch into early May at the latest, with the Stanley Cup Final targeted to end in late June or early July.
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