I've never completely understood why the NHL schedulers favor playing one game in a town and the next in a different city. It requires much more travel, less downtime between games, and ultimately wears down the players. Would it not make more sense to schedule homestands, MLB-style, where one team hosts the other for a 3-game set spaced over 5 days? In a 28-week season that still adds up to 84 games. Your schedule permits travel to as many cities as you currently visit, potentially more, and by virtue of staying in one city for the better part of a week at a time, you don't have as much flying and/or busing to expect. I'm not a fan of any idea that would place the Isles in any division/conference that ignores old rivalries, but this would facilitate more visits to areas the Isles rarely visit.

Crazy smart, or just crazy?