And the one team that finished ahead of them was living off of a hot start and probably would've dropped down the standings in a full season. The Ducks had a fantastic start but went 8-9-2 to end the season with a -7 goal differential in that span.
I wouldn't necessarily pick the Canucks to win the division next year but I think people are overreacting to the new alignment. If the Canucks miss the playoffs next year it'll because they play like crap and not because of their competition.
You realize having 5 games against the Sharks, Kings, and Ducks is significantly harder than beating up on the Flames, Oil and Avs.
I'd say we make the playoffs, but no more Division banners for a while, (which may be a good thing)
I think the team will benefit from the change, elevate its game.
The teams that are ranked ahead of us are considered so in the playoff sense. If there's one thing I'm confident this team can do, it's make the playoffs. We are a regular season team at the very least, so let's not wallow in pity and state that we aren't going to make the playoffs.