I use to stay in the past and make sure i watched the games. Now, i can sort of watch when I'm home or just follow on twitter or get scores.
Just sort of passively watching the game is where I'm personally at. I usually watch Hockeystreams on my XboxOne in the top corner while playing Halo or Destiny or something rather than sit and watch a whole game. (Maybe that's just my terrible attention span)
My family even cut down the amount of attended games due to just time and money and recent success
and i agree with the rivalries. Playing the Rags/Flyers etc is always fun and i encourage friends to go and see them during those games, but if you're a casual fan, then it may not be exciting.
I'm sure as the season progresses and things start to matter (whether thats playoffs which wont happen, or gunning for a high pick) a lot of us will come back and watch more intently.