http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=660138&navid=DL|NHL|home
As an NHL fan, I am really glad that some teams are going to have their travel issues resolved. As a Pens fan, I'm glad our rivalries remain, and we are going to face every western conference team twice (home and home), and I feel like games with the Red Wings and Blue Jackets will be great for different reasons. Red Wings games will be just as epic as our other games against heated rivals (Rangers, Flyers, etc.), and I think the Pens could really help the Blue Jackets organization with ticket sales.
However, we see that the western conference has two less teams, and to me, that is a sign that the NHL will expand. And for geographical regions, I would think Seattle and Kansas City would slide right into conferences A and B, respectively.