Voted Oilers....but this is tough. Pretty open here.
Oilers have a few things going for them above other contenders for this spot:
- West is still weak. Colorado stands tall, but after that, not as many serious threats. So if they can beat Colorado, or if Colorado stumbles, west is wide open.
- McDrai insane level of play last playoffs seems....repeatable?
People will vote Rangers because they finished high in playoffs last year but not sure they belong so soon. I want to see Shesterkin this year - dream season last year, but let's see if he can repeat. If he's a bit more average, that's a huge difference.
Carolina is a good choice too - super solid, and consistent...issue with them is that they have trouble going far in playoffs so far it seems. But so did Colorado before last year, so this could finally be their year.
Finally those who will say Toronto....no chance. Outside of top 5 for Leafs, minimum. I don't care how good 'on paper' you are - until they win even a single round, their odds will be lower than they should be, and that's on them.
