Quoting: HabsFan9
I think teams obviously THINK they have rivals, but that’ really not what it is.
I think if ARI was competitive, they could have rivalries with any of the California teams.
The problem with Minny is they have nobody close to them. Maybe the Stars could count, but not really.
Florida has Tampa so close, but the Panthers have lagged in the middle of the pack for a while now.
Nashville has the same problem as Minny, which is proximity. They had the winter classic with Dallas, and they’e close to the Blues, but none of those really count
It's not so much proximity with MN, it's lack of being at the same level with the teams they would consider rivals.
-They were the little brother to CHI for a few years.
-COL (probably the closest to being a rival) games are intense, but the teams haven't been good at the same time. A couple more good Playoff series and they could be though.
-MN/Jets are the best games to see live, but it's more the fans than the on-ice teams.
-NSH and MN might as well be the same team (historically). Just lots of blah.
-STL has CHI and doesn't want to cheat on them or something.
-DAL is more of a fan thing because they used to be in MN, but the games don't have much heat.
-VAN is a "what could have been" after the conferences were realigned.