from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,

The biggest difference between the realignment proposal that failed last year and the new package being worked on this year is the co-operation of the NHL and the NHLPA. The players blocked the previous attempt because they weren't consulted, and the league realized if it truly wanted to go down this road, things would need to be done together.

Until the teams were notified last week of the proposed changes, there was a very small number of people on both sides who knew what was going on. In this silence, some of the clubs were concerned the "four conference" setup would fall apart, especially those who benefit by moving closer to opponents in similar time zones.

(One note: the league apparently asked NHLPA leadership if it could show the Governors the new plan before it was given to the players. Permission was granted, since the union executive knew if the owners couldn't be convinced, it wouldn't get as far as the players, anyway. They will be briefed shortly.)

continued plus 30 Thoughts...