bobholly39
Registered User
- Mar 10, 2013
- 22,502
- 15,324
Lots of different teams I listed with a varying degree of teams successes - and failures - in recent years. Which of the following scenarios is the most likely in your opinion for the coming season - try and also post in your response ranking them from most to least likely to happen:
1. Tampa Bay misses the playoffs. We've seen cup winners miss previously - though I don't know if we've seen a back to back winner miss. Lots of roster changes going into new year - but, does it even matter? They're so deep. Can you see a scenario where they miss?
2. Habs once again make the Stanley Cup Finals. Win or lose - they at least reach the Stanley Cup finals for a 2nd year in a row. Most don't think they'll even make the playoffs - and if they do, the East is extremely stacked this year. Can they go back to finals?
3. Buffalo Sabres make the playoffs. Atlantic is so stacked - and Buffalo has so many issues. Simply making the playoffs isn't a super high bar though, a lot of teams unexpectedly qualified in recent years, but for Buffalo it would be a pretty huge stretch this season. Can they do it?
4. Either Chicago or Los Angeles win the cup. The two best Western Conference teams of the past decade - with multiple cup wins and strong runs each. Even though their success dates from a while back now - surprisingly, they both have a lot of their core still intact, especially on the top end (Kopitar/Doughty and Toews/Kane). Lots of changes after of course - both teams with a busy off-season too. How likely is it that either/or of those teams win the cup?
5. Pittsburgh wins the cup. Not altogether a huge stretch - won 2 cups back to back recently. Still have Malkin/Crosby who are still in top form. But - 3 years in a row of really bad playoff runs...seems improbable to overcome to win it all again. Can they?
6. Washington wins the cup. A bit similar to Pittsburgh - still the same core with Ovi/Backstrom leading the way. Won the cup in 2018, more recent than Pitt - but then 3 straight disappointing first round losses. Can they bounce back and win the cup?
7. Edmonton finishes in last place of the standings. It's been a running joke in the past that Edmonton would always win first overall pick. And although they still struggle to find playoff success - the duo of McDavid/Drai has been elite enough to put them in a playoff position 2 years in a row now. Some off-season changes too. Pacific is rather weak division. In my opinion - they are very likely to be a top 3 team in the division, if not more. What are the odds the absolute opposite happens, and they finish dead last in the standings?
1. Tampa Bay misses the playoffs. We've seen cup winners miss previously - though I don't know if we've seen a back to back winner miss. Lots of roster changes going into new year - but, does it even matter? They're so deep. Can you see a scenario where they miss?
2. Habs once again make the Stanley Cup Finals. Win or lose - they at least reach the Stanley Cup finals for a 2nd year in a row. Most don't think they'll even make the playoffs - and if they do, the East is extremely stacked this year. Can they go back to finals?
3. Buffalo Sabres make the playoffs. Atlantic is so stacked - and Buffalo has so many issues. Simply making the playoffs isn't a super high bar though, a lot of teams unexpectedly qualified in recent years, but for Buffalo it would be a pretty huge stretch this season. Can they do it?
4. Either Chicago or Los Angeles win the cup. The two best Western Conference teams of the past decade - with multiple cup wins and strong runs each. Even though their success dates from a while back now - surprisingly, they both have a lot of their core still intact, especially on the top end (Kopitar/Doughty and Toews/Kane). Lots of changes after of course - both teams with a busy off-season too. How likely is it that either/or of those teams win the cup?
5. Pittsburgh wins the cup. Not altogether a huge stretch - won 2 cups back to back recently. Still have Malkin/Crosby who are still in top form. But - 3 years in a row of really bad playoff runs...seems improbable to overcome to win it all again. Can they?
6. Washington wins the cup. A bit similar to Pittsburgh - still the same core with Ovi/Backstrom leading the way. Won the cup in 2018, more recent than Pitt - but then 3 straight disappointing first round losses. Can they bounce back and win the cup?
7. Edmonton finishes in last place of the standings. It's been a running joke in the past that Edmonton would always win first overall pick. And although they still struggle to find playoff success - the duo of McDavid/Drai has been elite enough to put them in a playoff position 2 years in a row now. Some off-season changes too. Pacific is rather weak division. In my opinion - they are very likely to be a top 3 team in the division, if not more. What are the odds the absolute opposite happens, and they finish dead last in the standings?
