I find this whole North/South, East/West notion pretty overblown. It's really more cliche than anything.
It could be. Or it could also be that two slightly differing views of optimal hockey are not fully compatible. People think hockey differently and it seems to work best when likeminded individuals play together.
There is a clear distinction, at least to me, between players who are "classic" textbook guys, more straight forward hockey with more volume of actions but lower quality scoring chances.
People who don't see, or don't choose those plays (like opting for a small risk pass to a better scoring chance instead of just shooting) because it's the safest, most "correct" play according to general opinion, will also not see a big distinction between north-south and east-west. They don't see, or consider east-west as the better option.
Recent example, McDavid dropping the puck on a breakaway on purpose. Most won't do it and coaches would advise against doing it, but to me that is the play to make if you want the best chance of scoring. A straight breakaway is easier for goalie than that.
That's one of the reasons for example Laine and Little won't work well. Laine reads a different play (more unorthodox but in his mind the better play) and positions differently than a traditional player would. Little expects him to be elsewhere for the safest textbook play he instinctively will prefer. This makes them both look clueless. For North-South people it's Laine who positions weird and doesn't do traditional things expected, especially from a sniper powerforward that are often very much North-South.
From East-west point of view the problem is Little who doesn't read the "better" play that Laine for example might be thinking and positioning more.
You need to understand both sides and both plays, to even begin to evaluate how much it affects the players. Good communication helps, but intuitively similar people make much faster and better reads with each other. What ever mind set they prefer.
I know you don't believe in any of this chemistry etc stuff. I know it to be a fact, for me it's so much easier to play with guys who think more creatively about offense than traditionally. And I'm pretty sure it's also the same thing for people who prefer the other way...if there's 3 people seeing the same play, they all position accordingly to achieve the same end play.