There would be equally good matchups if it were 1 to 8 rankings for the playoffs
Tampa vs NJ
Boston vs Columbus
Wash vs Philly
Toronto vs Pitts
Nash vs Col
Vegas vs LA
Winterpeg vs SJ
Minny vs Ana
All this does is water down the later rounds which makes for less compelling matchups when it matters more. The only difference is this screws a lot of teams over who should have home ice advantage or create uneven rounds and easier paths for bad teams.