Report: Multiple Canadian teams want North Division beyond this season

The NHL's division realignment is only supposed to last through this season, but some Canadian clubs are hoping the North Division can remain intact following the 2020-21 campaign.

"There are at least a couple of the Canadian teams that are still (holding) out hope that the North Division will live beyond this season, that they'll get at least one more year of that," Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reported during Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada.

A few of the Canadian franchises' executives want to see the excitement surrounding the division when fans are allowed back in arenas, Johnston added.

The North Division was born out of necessity this season due to Canada's border laws amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Commissioner Gary Bettman doesn't envision the temporary realignment sticking around upon the world's return to normalcy.

"We did what we had to do this year, we had no choice if we were going to play," Bettman said Friday during a press conference. "I do believe that we may focus on more divisional play going forward, although I'm not sure if this much divisional play would hold interest for an 82-game schedule. But it's worked well for this year.

"Obviously, I don't envision it continuing ... I think our traditional alignment makes more sense and is more widely accepted."

Part of the North Division's popularity this season has been its high-scoring games and ample star power. The division holds for four of the league's top eight teams in goals per game and five of the NHL's top six point producers.

Keeping the North Division long-term would be difficult to justify from a travel perspective, as its seven teams are spread across four different time zones.