NHL Playoffs 2011: Coyotes Move Could Have Repercussions for Canucks, Avalanche

Unless you are a Detroit Red Wings fan, the sweep of the Phoenix Coyotes came as a little bit of a surprise, especially when Phoenix played so well against Detroit last year.

It's a shame it happened so quickly because fans in Arizona might have seen their last Coyotes hockey game ever, as it appears likely that the team will move back to Winnipeg. 

Much has been made about the potential move, but what is not being touched upon is the effect it could have on other franchises like the Colorado Avalanche, and possibly the Vancouver Canucks.

If the Phoenix Coyotes were to move back to Winnipeg, then the geographical ramifications would make it a ridiculous proposition to keep the team in the Pacific Division.

The much wiser choice would be for them to swap places with the Avalanche in the Northwest Division.

From a travel standpoint, this sounds like a great idea, and easily the most logical, but logic is not always the driving force behind decisions in professional sports.

In fact, logic might have kept the team out of Phoenix to begin with, but that is a different discussion.

Still, just because it makes geographic sense there are other factors in play. If the two teams swapped places then the only Northwest team not located in Canada would be the Minnesota Wild. For a hockey purist that sounds fine because Minnesota has long been considered the most Canadian-like of all US states anyway.

However, Avalanche fans take pride in being a rival with multiple Canadian teams and it helps keep the Avalanche more in the conscious of the Canadian hockey fan than all of the other teams in the Pacific.

To be honest, there is a stigma related to the Pacific Division.

Despite having four teams from that division in the Western Conference playoffs, many still think that the talent of those teams is wasted in those markets where competition with so many other professional sports is common.

From that aspect, Denver and the Avalanche probably do fit in more with the Pacific Division in terms of multiple pro sports vying for attention. Yet the past success of the Avalanche has always seemed to help Colorado feel as if they belonged in the same discussion with Calgary and Edmonton fans.

From a competitive standpoint, the Avalanche are not rebuilt enough yet to care which teams they compete most against in a season, and the Coyotes roster could be competitive in the Northwest right away, just as they were in the Pacific. Provided they re-sign Bryzgalov, which is a different conversation.

Perhaps there is another option though? Could the Vancouver Canucks make the move to the Pacific Division instead of the Avalanche, and deliver some much needed Canadian respectability to that division? 

Geographically, it probably makes enough sense as far as the California opponents are concerned, and nobody likes going to Dallas anyway.

The Canucks have enough of a following to survive any kind of change, and they certainly would not be considered lambs being led to the slaughter in a new division, much like the Avalanche might.

It is an interesting proposition, and ultimately the move to Winnipeg is the right one for the NHL as a whole.

The league will have to think very deeply about how to re-align the divisions though, especially with the news that NBC and Versus will continue to be a partner for years to come. 

Could Vancouver moving be the key to unleashing the ratings boom that California might have to offer?

Or will the Avalanche follow in the footsteps of the University of Colorado and prepare for the fun and sun in California?

We'll all have to wait and see.