I respectfully beg to differ; a lot more pressure is placed on players in the playoffs, which definitely has an effect on postseason play. The only way to get an accurate measure of how good a team is would be to set up a control test; no Cup on the line, no bearing on season statistics. Each team plays every other team for a 3 game series; the most consistent winner (since the playing field would be as level as possible) would be the best team. Physically impossible, since the season has been stretched beyond all reason to accomodate the expansion teams, but it would settle this once and for all.