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MakingMoves121
Joined: Apr. 2016
Posts: 127
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If I had the ability to reshape the KHL and its minors and junior teams, here is what I will do.
1. Use the above-mentioned teams to form the new KHL.
2. Incorporate all leagues/clubs from Russia, Finland, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Japan, and South Korea.
3. Create 2 minor leagues: Supreme Hockey League and Higher Hockey League. Supreme is occupied by westernmost teams in above-mentioned geographical footprint, Higher the east. Like Binkour, the Dubai team will start here.
4. Unused clubs in each league (primarily with seating less than 3,000), will join forces to form an elite U20 junior league for which KHL clubs can draft from, as opposed to U20 clubs being sponsored by KHL: clubs. It will be one league but divisions will be heavily geographically oriented. Aged-out undrafted players will go through a waiver wire of the Supreme and Higher Leagues before KHL gets a look at them.
** If you give me time, I will lay out the teams in each league.
5. Sixteen teams make KHL playoffs. The remaining 8 teams will participate in a "Good Will Tournament" with representatives from Supreme and Higher. Top 12 teams from each league will receive invitations to tournament at the conclusion of their respected playoffs. The "Good Will Tournament" will be used to showcase the talent among the leagues and retain interest in the non-playoff KHL teams.
The 32 teams will be split across 4 divisions of 8 teams, seeded based on standing in each league. Each team will play their divisional opponent once for a total of 7 games. Top 2 make playoffs (all one-game sets). As a competitive incentive, if a Supreme or Higher League wins the tournament, that team receives limited participation in the upcoming KHL draft. Taking a page from and making a tweak or two based on Champions Hockey League.
6. Supreme and Higher teams can earn the opportunity to join KHL in the future. If a team, lets say Binkour Tashkent, meets all requirements and the league is certain that this team will be a competitive force in KHL, then the KHL can extend invite to team to join league. Cap the total number of teams in KHL to 32.
7. KHL teams can have player development agreements with Supreme or Higher league clubs. If they do, those teams are exempt from U20 waiver wire mentioned above.
Thoughts?