What if the employment gap was the actual job search itself?

You could deal with the situation by saying something along the lines of, "I decided, when I left my last job, that I was going to take whatever time was necessary to conduct an intelligent, intensive search. This has included careful research, on-going networking, and evaluation of many options. I think that the process has worked very well. So, instead of sounding like you've been desperately "looking for a job," you create the impression of a carefully conceived, well thought out job search.