I really don't like the whole bye for the top 8 teams while the other teams get to play in MEANINGFUL GAMES after nobody has played hockey for like 2 months. That seems like a disadvantage to the teams that played well enough to have a top-4 record in their conference to benefit an expanded playoffs for teams that hadn't even played themselves INTO A PLAYOFF POSITION at all.
I think if it happens the top 8 teams should play each other in a best of 3. The team that wins gets the PLAYERS to decide whether the winning team accepts a compensatory selection after the first round of the draft or an EXTRA exemption to the next expansion draft to protect one additional player. The losing team would get whichever the winning team doesn't select.
Give the players on the top-8 teams something to play for and a unique way to actually have a players-only say in their own franchise.