I think the key for you is that you don't live in a local market - if a fan does live in the local market of their favorite team, they have to hope that Sling (or whichever cord-cutting option they've chosen) offers the local team's channel. Here in Los Angeles, Sling offers FS West and Prime Ticket, so Ducks/Kings fans can easily cut the cord. I really wish the NHL would offer an option on NHLtv to add the local team to the package for an extra monthly/yearly charge - it could be worth it to them in the long run.
I'm about to cut the cord and when I compared the channels on DTV Now vs. Sling it seemed like Sling offered several more channels that I wanted. What sucks about Sling for hockey fans is that NHL Network is an add-on. If you get Sling Blue (which has NBC Sports Network), you have to pay $10/month extra to get NHL Network because the "Sports" package which has NHL Network also has the NFL Red Zone channel (and they upcharge for the NFL). On the flipside, the Sports package is only $5/month if you have Sling Orange (since it doesn't include Red Zone), but Orange doesn't have NBC Sports Network. I told my wife what I'll probably do is get Sling Blue and then only sign up for the Sports Package from April-June, so I can use NHL Network for the playoffs, Memorial Cup and Day 2 of the NHL Draft (I guess I'll need it for July 1 as well, so maybe just cancel the package on July 2?).