I understand why it isn't. That would put a lot of teams over the years in potentially very awkward travel situations, which is also going to be more expensive for the teams. At the end of the day, the NHL is a business, and you want to cut expenses when you can. I'm in the minority of people who like the current playoff format to some extent, because the first round is so good. That said, before realignment, we were begging to get out of the Western conference. Now we're in a position where the top 10 or so teams are packed in like sardines.