It's really quite simple.....it does make a difference, it makes a huge difference. Nobody said anything about a balanced schedule,although seeing all the teams in the league would be nice, it's never going to happen.
Where it makes a difference is to the fans, as evidence by the comments on here, not to mention it matters to the teams and their owners...winning cures a lot of woes. Fans will support a winning team before a losing one. More fans equals more money, playoffs equals more money, thus more money equates to your team being much more stable in it's marketplace and not as likely to be sold or moved. Why do you think teams like Hershey, Grand Rapids and Chicago and others like them are in the top 5 every year in attendance in the AHL? You never hear about those teams relocating do you, like you do Albany and Springfield or Lowell in the past. And this is just from a fans and owners point....what about the players?? Why do you think players go to certain organizations to play....to win. Why did Ray Bourque go to Colorado? Wasn't because he liked to ski.
It's just as much about winning as it is developing players...players develop better in a winning enviroment, they learn more and are more receptive to things when they enjoy coming to the rink each day and not dreading it like it's a job.
If winning doesn't matter, then why do they keep score in the AHL...or give out a trophy for the best team at the end of the year? Afterall it's just a developmental league and really doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of the NHL.
So in the end it does matter because they do keep score and give out trophies etc....and all you can ask for as a fan or as a team owner or even a player is for a fair level playing field. And since the playoffs is where names are made, you want as honest a chance to get there as possible, and not playing against all of the teams you are competing against for that chance isn't a fair level playing field.