Wow...that's a surprisingly tough question.
On one hand, all the New York based teams look really nice from a travel perspective. I do believe those three have the least amount of airmiles per year. Saves a ton of hassle.
Playing somewhere in Florida or Cali would be an interesting lifestyle....but there's been a lot of nasty (crime/race) related incidents coming out of that state, and the overly aggressive 'progressives' in Cali would boil my blood in a hurry.
Colorado would be an interesting option. Good fanbase, pretty even-keeled social atmosphere, nice weather, beautiful area. Good young team poised to make a mark for a few years.
A big hell no to Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Those nutcase fans and media aren't worth it.
Winnipeg, Edmonton, Ottawa and Calgary are a bit smallish with an intrusive fanbase and nasty winter. Don't really care for the Alberta mentality, either...a bit too right-leaning at times.
Chicago and Detroit are good teams...but very limited in safe places to live. Sure, there are good areas in that region, but knowing there is so much crime within a drivable distance...meh. Ditto to Washington...lots of crime in many areas.
Boston is a beautiful city. Good hard-working team. Would probably get myself killed laughing at the local accents though.
Nashville...good team, nice city. Don't care for the music and a bit too old fashioned at times. Ditto to St. Louis.
Minnesota...if Cooke and Heatley weren't there, would really like it. Nice middle-of-the-road mentality, nice sized area. Good folks and fans. Bit of a cold winter, but still better than what we're used to here in Ottawa.
Philly...love the fans, hate the city. Pittsburgh, hate both the bandwagonners and the city.
Phoenix....warm is nice...a bazillion degrees is not. Forget that one.
Hmmmm......I just don't know. There are positives and negatives to all the cities out there. I'd probably stick with one of the teams in NYC. Just avoiding all that travel, and having the ability to pretty much disappear in that city off the ice while still having a decent fanbase is just too good to pass up.
