The Arizona Coyotes will be moving to the Central Division prior to the 2021-22 season, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed on Tuesday.
As part of the NHL Board of Governors' announcement to award the league's 32nd franchise to Seattle, the group also approved a realignment package that calls for the Coyotes to move into the Central, making way for the unnamed Seattle team to play in the Pacific Division.
Currently, there are seven teams in the Central and eight in the Pacific, so simply adding one more team (Seattle) to the Pacific would make the Western Conference extremely lopsided.