That’s a neat idea, but it was literally disproven in reality when the league went from 6 to 21 teams and scoring went up steadily each time they added teams.
No need to take a poll, we have a hard factual disproof already.
-Scoring went up each time they added teams?
-1967 was the first addition. The league averaged 2.98 goals per game, and 3.04 the year prior. The league today the scoring has been over 3 goals per game 1 time since 1996, 22 years.
-In 1979 dilution started. 4 teams from the WHA were added to the NHL, the same year the Great One entered the NHL. Do you know how bad some of these new teams were? They didnt just cherry pick players like Vegas did. The Jets were -154 in goal differential, NEGATIVE 154 in goals against. The Whalers were -87, Devils -86, Wings -87, Nordiques -75. You call this competitive with parity? The talent was already secured by the Elite teams. Every team in the entire Smyth division had negative goal differential. You dont think the Oilers and Montrael having a stacked team killing these new teams had anything to do with it when they didnt have a prayer to survive? Its funny because they all relocated in due time.
-Hey, lets put the Pittsburgh Penguins with Lemieux and Jagr, Recchi, Stevens, Trottier, Paul Coffey and put them up against college teams and see how the stats go.
-Almost all the players in the league in the old days were from Canada. That number dropped to 75% in the 80's, and is now 50% in todays NHL.
-Dont make blind statements. The new teams that entered the league all got annihilated outside of the Oilers.