Everyone likes to play “what if” with their brackets.
Team B eliminates Team A, then goes on to face Team C. What if it was A who’d won the first series and was playing C? Maybe C would have been a better matchup for A, and A could have gone on to the conference finals, instead of going out in the first round. NHL managements aren’t immune to this. I don’t have any insider information on this, but I’d be shocked if they’d figured out a way to stop asking what if?—it’s a human instinct, not just a sports one.