I don't have a problem with 3 divisions. They won't do it but I'd do something like this:
VAN, SJ, LA, ANA, PHO - make the pacific a real pacific division. Dallas in there didn't make much sense.
DAL, STL, CHI, CLB, DET - Gives DAL a closer rival in STL.
CGY, EDM, WPG, MIN, COL - yes, we're still stuck with Minny but it's about the best travel as we could get.
An alternative is swapping VAN and COL to keep the Canadian teams together and sending COL to the pacific. They are closer to the coast than DAL.
The east is mostly the same
TOR, OTT, MTL, BUF, BOS
NYI, NYR, NJ, PHI, PIT
FLA, CAR, TBL, NAS, WAS - Nashville is the change here. They are more a "southern" team than any of the others. An alternative is swapping CLB and NAS since CLB is further east. Detroit will of course lobby to be in the east which just messes with everything so I left them to rot in the west.
More than realignment for the playoffs I'd like to see the top 8 in each division seeded according to points. The three division winners get in, but they aren't guaranteed the top 3 seeds.
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