Only purpose divisions really play anymore imo is grouping the league in a relatively efficient way to manage travel. If you want to give Div winners the 1-2 automatically in the conference, meh, whatever. I prefer just a purely merit based 1-8 ranking personally but I'm not entirely insensitive to the idea that we don't want to make divisions entirely worthless.
Rivalries build themselves and are based on intriguing stories or historic grudges but they ebb and flow. I have a hard time calling us rivals to Tampa or Boston because we haven't proven ourselves worthy of it. Montreal sucks at the moment so is hardly a rival despite the history both recent and not. Ottawa hasn't been a rival of any real sort for years now, fuck, almost 20 now. Edmonton is probably the best narrative with Auston v Connor tbh but we see them a few times in the regular season only, not exactly the thing dream rivalries are made of. What's left? Carolina with the zamboni guy beating us? Our old GM in NYI?
Can't force a rivalry. They happen when they happen for their own reasons.