This.
For me personally, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Boston, (I know unpopular around here but a great city nonetheless) Nashville, and Vancouver would rank high on my list. Add Seattle when they enter the league as well.
Next tier would be NYI, (I like the Brooklyn side of NY) Raleigh, Vegas, Arizona, LA, and Anaheim the last 5 as I am a Nascar fan as well and they are close to Nascar tracks.
There is no universal best NHL city to play in it is a very subjective choice depending on the individual.