A lot will have to go right for us in the development of our youth and in the net to give us a good chance at the playoffs next season. I don't think it's a given, even if fans get their way and all of Laine/Connor/Morrissey/Hellebuyck make the team out of training camp we still only took a wildcard spot with 99 points two seasons back. Dallas and Nashville have improved since then, while Chicago, St. Louis, and Minnesota have all stayed competitive. The only team we should plausibly be ahead of is Colorado who have suspect defense and no head coach in mid-August. This all assumes the Pacific hasn't improved enough to take more than 3 playoff spots, if that's the case we have to beat out a team like Minnesota and perhaps St. Louis or Dallas to make the post-season. I think most rational fans would agree those are pretty lofty expectations with so many young players on the team. A key injury or two and we could be right back at 6th or 7th in the division.
