NHL announces divisional changes with Seattle joining the league in 2021

Good move? The Battle of Alberta has been saved!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
NHL announces divisional changes with Seattle joining the league in 2021
Zuma Press

Earlier today NHL commissioner Gary Bettman finally made official what many around the hockey world have assumed for months now: Seattle is officially an NHL city.

Seattle’s Oak View Group had their bid for a 32nd NHL franchise officially accepted by the NHL’s board of governors this morning during a meeting in Sea Island, Georgia.

The team will hit the ice at the renovated Key Arena in downtown Seattle for the 2021-22 season, one season after the expansion group was aiming for. Whether this is because of arena construction concerns, or concerns around a 2020 NHL lockout is not known yet. 

There’s obviously still a TON of work for Seattle to do before they hit the ice in 2021 like name a general manager, create a name, logo and uniform and… well draft a team. One thing we DO know is that Seattle will join the NHL as a member of the Pacific Division, forcing the Arizona Coyotes to move to the Central Division. Commissioner Bettman confirmed this news at this afternoons press conference.


Bettman confirms Arizona will move to the Central Division with Seattle in the Pacific.


Makes sense considering that the Coyotes are the eastern most team in the Pacific and the team spends the majority of its season in the Mountain Time zone.