Are We Being Called Back Home?

J.P. is already all over the recent news about the NHL's potential realignment, but I felt compelled to chime in with a quote from a Canadian Press report (emphasis added):

The new divisions in the East: one would feature Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Buffalo, Boston, Pittsburgh and Western Conference alumni Columbus. The other division would include the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington, Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina. The Caps rejoining their old Patrick Division rivals was a popular sentiment at Wednesday's meeting.

Kudos to the NHL for finally getting it. No matter how hard he tries to prove it isn't so, Gary Bettman is actually occasionally capable of a thought that isn't completely idiotic. Although, to be fair, this proposal still ends with the Caps two most prominent rivals in other divisions. Heck, it actually sends Atlanta to another conference altogether. So it's not completely lacking in Bettman-esque stupidity.

Of course, this will probably all change when the Penguins end up in Kansas City. But I'll save that discussion for another time.