At some point, the NHL on television kind of stopped being an easy joke. Everything seems a lot more stable than it was in the early 2000s and even coming out of the lockout. While many ignore the sport of hockey, the fact is, they seem to acknowledge that people are watching and leave it at that.

However, it’s worth noting that the National Hockey League appears poised to have its best postseason on television in years, and perhaps a seminal one for the sport in the United States. Let’s take a look at some of the factors that could move the league, and NBC, to records.

Regular Season Realignment

There are still some who don’t quite love the way the NHL re-did its divisions and conferences. It made for an unbalanced system where 16 teams chase eight playoff spots in one conference, while 14 chase eight in the other. This is something that, by all accounts, will be fixed by expansion in the future, but for now it’s still unbalanced.

Detroit and Columbus moving over to the Eastern Conference will likely provide huge boons to NBC’s playoff TV fortunes. The Red Wings are destined for a first round series with either the Boston Bruins or the Pittsburgh Penguins, which could deliver record numbers in the opening round. The Blue Jackets — likely headed to the postseason for just the second time — will face the #1 seed who doesn’t get Detroit, and we’ll get to see what kind of muscle a relatively new hockey market can flex.

Playoff Realignment

The realignment of the postseason is a little flawed. It features the top three teams in each division automatically qualifying for the postseason, followed by two wild cards. The two wild cards are, based on finish, thrown into one of the two divisions regardless of geography. From there, both divisions in each conference play a four-team playoff format, which will choose the conference finalists, who will then battle for the right to play for the Stanley Cup.

While this has created confusion (did any of what I just said make sense) the fact is that this first round will feature some crazy match ups. Los Angeles and San Jose, Chicago and Colorado, Tampa and Montreal, and Philly and the Rangers are all pretty much set as partners in round one. They could all be big hits on the small screen.

The Blackhawks Craze

Chicago’s reigning Stanley Cup Champions remain hugely popular, both locally and nationally. They hold two of the highest-rated regular season games on NBCSN this season, and both of the highest-rated indoor games on NBC this season. Their local ratings remain in the league’s top five despite the size of their market.

That said, they’re likely being dealt a first round series with a Colorado team that plays young and fast. And there’s still the outside shot of a first round series with rival St. Louis, which could be the Western equivalent of Detroit/Pittsburgh in the Division Semifinals. The Hawks will likely be the biggest story of the postseason for as long as they’re in it, and NBC will be fine with that.

Revival in the West

Whenever I write about hockey on television, I cite the importance of markets like Dallas and Colorado, because in the past they’ve been vital to the league’s television strategy. While never the biggest TV stars, those two teams can be used as easy gateways into the further western part of the league. They’re teams you can use for more doubleheader games and late starting when they’re viable on television.

It appears the Stars and Avs will both return to postseason hockey for the first time in a while, and both with very exciting, young clubs. The Avs have started to create Chicago circa-2009 buzz with their crop of homegrown talent and the nostalgia of their Patrick Roy/Joe Sakic brain trust. The Stars, meanwhile, have former Boston pariah Tyler Seguin, who would be oh so fun to watch lead a team into the playoffs.

Are they going to bring NBC over the hump or strike a chord with national viewers yet? Probably not. But having them in the tournament is way better than not having them, and those are markets where the NHL needs the local ratings to be consistently better.

Canadien Bacon

There’s been a lot of talk about all of the big American markets in these playoffs. New York, Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Denver, both Los Angeles clubs, San Jose, Dallas, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Minnesota. But what about the nation that claims ownership of the sport, Canada?

With the Maple Leafs’ demise, there will be but one entrant from the True North in the postseason, and even they’re an American TV draw: the Montreal Canadiens. They have a tough Tampa team in round one, but getting past them could mean a second-round series against Boston, and Canadiens-Bruins has American TV cache. It’s stuff like this that makes a conspiracy theorist think the NHL is almost giving the American networks a free playoffs in a lame duck year for their Canadian partners prior to the Rogers takeover.

But that would be borderline insane, as it just appears NBC is getting the luck of the draw this time around. However, it’s almost not insane enough that I’m surprised some hoser hasn’t thought it up as the reason his team fell down the standings and out of playoff contention. I’m disappointed in you especially, Toronto.

About Steve Lepore

Steve Lepore is a writer for Bloguin and a correspondent for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.