What’s tougher - your COVID division or your traditional one?

[itwasaforwardpass]

Boston and Buffalo got screwed.

 

[triggrman]

For Nashville, I have no idea. Tampa, Carolina and CBJ play a totally different style than St. Louis, Minnesota and Colorado.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Boston and Buffalo got screwed.

Does Buffalo get screwed?

They have a better chance to make the playoffs or be terrible in this division, which is exactly what they should want. In their old division they have a good chance to be mediocre, like they were the last two seasons. They were competitive, but not competitive enough to make the playoffs. There were still worse teams in their division than them like Ottawa and Detroit that would finish below them in the standings.

In a normal season, they aren't close to competing with Tampa and Boston for a playoff spot. But even a team like the Leafs over the course of a full season is probably too good right now for them to finish above. From there, they are competing for a wild card spot to begin with. In the current division, I think what makes this division so tough is that after Washington and maybe Philadelphia there are no real pushovers. Every team other than New Jersey probably thinks they can make the playoffs, and in a normal year with normal divisions they would think the same.

Buffalo has a better chance to compete for spots 3/4, even potentially 2 if the Flyers aren't as good as expected, in this division with a number of teams around a similar level than they would making the playoffs in a division where two of the teams are clearly much better than them and another is only clearly better than them. And if Buffalo bottoms out and is really bad this year, they could even be worse than New Jersey, and contending for the first pick. New Jersey isn't that terrible, and this division is so competitive that a really bad team in this division might end up with the worst record in the league.

 

[Karl Eriksson]

For Nashville, I have no idea. Tampa, Carolina and CBJ play a totally different style than St. Louis, Minnesota and Colorado.

Yeah that’s a tough one. Out of the Colorado frying pan and into the Tampa fire.