Report: NHL on verge of major shakeup

We all remember the initial few seasons after the 2004-05 NHL lockout in which the folks at the top thought that it would be a good idea to have division teams face off against one another eight times a year in order to try and maximize rivalries. Of course, this meant matchups between the likes of Original 6 rivals like the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs would happen only once or not even at all during the first initial 82 game schedules. 

But a new report makes it sound as though fans had better prepare themselves to start seeing a lot more of their team's divisional opponents. As we all know, the NHL has been doing just about everything possible in order to maximize revenue streams in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the cancellation of games in March and April of 2020. Fans have had to put up with advertisements on player helmets (and on some team uniforms, which was a previously unheard of concept in the NHL) along with new digital advertisements superimposed on the boards during television broadcasts.

And now, the League could be looking to maximize profits by radically altering team schedules as soon as next season.

Take a look at the report via Sportico:

"Team owners and executives have recently discussed efforts to create more games between geographic rivals—and ultimately generate more money.

As soon as next season, teams like Edmonton and Calgary could play as many as eight games against each other, rather than the current three.

The idea behind this shift was partially bolstered by the NHL's COVID-disrupted 2020-21 season, when the league redrew all four divisions." 

Fans, how would this grab you should this scheduling reset actually come to pass next season?