It isn't just the fact that the players can get to the NHL city more quickly when they are needed urgently. Part of the decision to move the AHL teams closer was the salary cap impact. Things may have changed since, but at the time the first group of teams moved, a player being called up to the NHL was added to the NHL roster for salary cap purposes when the call was made, not when he arrived. This meant for LA that the player was counting on the cap for at least a full day, if not two, while travel arrangements were made, and while the player was en route. For Philadelphia at that time, the player walked across the parking lot and joined the big club immediately. I'm not 100% sure if the same was true for the return trip, but I believe it was - the player was getting his NHL salary for the travel day going down. It might not seem like a big deal, but over the course of a season it adds up to a significant impact on the salary cap, if the team has a lot of player movement. So it would make sense for the Canucks to move their AHL team closer now, if all the cared about was getting some salary cap flexibility. Obviously other things factor into the decision, and at least for now they balance out in favor of staying in Utica.
