NHL's new conference alignment

Starting next season, the NHL will have four new conferences. They will have conference A, B, C, D, instead of the now East and West, however, it will be a lot different. Now there will be no divisions inside the conferences since they are already so small. I love this, partially because I am a Wings fan, because it lets teams like the Red Wings and Jets play against teams in their own time zone, and closer to them. The one thing I don't like about it is that it will destroy a few great rivalries, such as the Red Wings/Avalanche and the Bruins/Rangers, that fans have come to love. By far I think the biggest problem comes in the playoffs. Two conferences have eight teams, while the other two only have seven. This could create a big problem as far as chances of making the playoffs goes. So, as with everything there are ups and there are downs to this, but I think (just like the NHL does) the pros outweigh the cons. Having teams closer to their common opponents is a huge benefit to fans and players.