[Philly06Cup]

My take:

I like that the NHL is trying new things. I like increased divisional rivalries. People who endlessly bash the NHL should give them some credit. The 2 wildcard format shows they are trying to balance rivalries with letting deserving teams into the playoffs.

My tweaks:

1) make the divisonal pairings only for the first round. This still gives you an amazing round one. Reseed for round 2. The most egregious match ups occur in round 2 -- this is where the change should happen. If unfair round 1 matchups happen, it is between the 2 and 3 seeds of a division -- so we can at least say it's their fault for not winning their division. if you want to get really fancy, then only reseed in the case that #1 and #2 are in the same division.

2) keep the 2 wildcard format. But, if there is one wildcard team from each division, don't cross over a team to the other division. This should be obvious. It creates more rivalries without creating a lot of disparity. If two teams from the division hold both wildcards, proceed as usual. (higher 1 seed plays lower wildcard). Right now the NHL has divisional pairings that 'crown' a 'divisional champ'. This is already broken considering that it is possible, eg, for a Pacific team to cross over and win the central division crown, and a central team to cross over and do the same.