Well, this is interesting if it is indeed as probable as is being suggested.
I would have to think it's about more than just the play-offs; also about trying to add some winning programs to the conference.
Or maybe not. The attendance atrocity last year in Detroit and the prospective low attendance next week may be the only thing that the conference higher-ups really care about.
ASU? No thanks. The last thing this conference needs is to add a bottom-tier program. Perhaps I'm being harsh toward ASU, but I don't see anything that tells me they are going to become a legitimate team in the near future.
If ASU comes in with another established program I suppose that would be alright. Notre Dame would fit that bill in my mind. I don't really care about them, and they wouldn't add any of that much-missed "rivalry" factor, but they are a legitimate NCAA Tournament team 3 out of every 5 years.
But my question is, how ****ty would that be if ND went to Hockey East, Hockey East then went out and added UConn to the league pretty much only because ND came in and unbalanced the numbers, and then ND bolted just a few years later leaving Hockey East again with unbalanced numbers?