As an aside, I think I was surprised to see the number of inactives per roster in the DSFL when the norm for the SMJHL especially in recent seasons is to stuff your roster with as many actives as possible to ensure long term success.
Imagining a J team with 20 roster spots (18 skaters and 2 goalies) having only 11 actives on average seems like a nightmare at first, but I do think there's some merit in having multiple teams with more holes, as the value in being a UDFA means that you gain a lot of attention from numerous teams compared to the couple looking to fill their spots.

Then for teams who do excel at drafting and development, the differences for them become more pronounced rather, although you could argue that as it is, there are already some teams that have historically been consistently above/below their peers as it is in that area.

Really though if I could personally pick a perfect line, I think that 14ish per team mark would be the ideal. Could argue that between the 11ish number currently calculated and a relatively deep draft, that number could be achievable for most teams. Still, can understand HO's conservatism since increasing the number of teams down the road is easier than the other direction.