But what if the NHL did go to uneven conferences.... In the envisioned 16-team west, each team would make the playoffs in theory 50% of the time, whereas in a 14-team east, each team improves to 57% likelihood -- over time this imbalance will put more dollars and thus more spending power in the eastern conference, as there are fewer teams to distribute to.... If the NHL does move to an imbalanced-conference realignment, it really should include a revenue sharing program with it.