Which Final Loser Should Have Won the Cup the Following Year?
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hangman005
Mark Stones Spleen
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- Jul 25, 2006
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I'm going to take a daring guess and say the 2008 Penguins.
- Oct 13, 2018
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I think the 2012 Canucks, they barely lost in 2011 and repeated as the President's Trophy champion.
Then Duncan Keith elbowed Daniel Sedin in the head two weeks before the playoffs started, concussing him and taking him out for a month. The Canucks would then lose to the Kings who went on a miracle run to the cup.
Sedin would only return in game 4, but it was too late.
Then Duncan Keith elbowed Daniel Sedin in the head two weeks before the playoffs started, concussing him and taking him out for a month. The Canucks would then lose to the Kings who went on a miracle run to the cup.
Sedin would only return in game 4, but it was too late.
Agree on this for obvious reasons, but IIRC the Kings were a very good team that simply underperformed in the regular season so they weren't a "real" 8 seed. A healthy Canucks team probably takes that series to 6 or 7 games with the winner going either way.
Funny, if you consider the 2013 and 2014 WCFs as the real SCF (because they basically were.. everyone knew the winner of the west was winning the cup), then the loser did win the next year as LA got the cup back in 2014 and Chicago in 2015
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They definitely were very underrated, they struggled a lot in the beginning and added Jeff Carter halfway through, which was a huge boost.
I still think the Canucks take this one if they have their leading scorer, though it would be very close.
Darryl Sutter coming in was a huge boost too. Him and Carter coming in within a month took that team over the top
I dunno... A deep playoff run requires a lot of things to go right. To win it all, it almost feels like too much shit needs to go perfectly, so I have hard time saying any team should win or is suppose to win. I'm also a Leaf fan, so that probably helps explain why I feel this way 
Anyway... I guess as a possible more recent example I'll offer up the '17 Nashville team. I can't honestly say I thought they should've won the following year, but I figured they were setup well enough to at least have some additional deep playoff runs in 'em. I believe they won the Presidents Trophy the next year, but then lost in the 2nd round, and have been spinning their wheels ever since. So I guess that sorta helps to support my original point.
Anyway... I guess as a possible more recent example I'll offer up the '17 Nashville team. I can't honestly say I thought they should've won the following year, but I figured they were setup well enough to at least have some additional deep playoff runs in 'em. I believe they won the Presidents Trophy the next year, but then lost in the 2nd round, and have been spinning their wheels ever since. So I guess that sorta helps to support my original point.
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- Oct 13, 2018
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That's true, another is that the Kings risked giving Willie Mitchell the 2 year contract when all the other teams, Canucks included, only offered him the one year because of concussion concerns.
Despite the Canucks losing to the Kings that year, and Mitchell being a terrible person, the cup hand off where Brown looks for him and shouts "Mitchie!" is one of my favourite hand-off moments.
That is crazy that they walked away from him, especially when he went on to captain the Panthers for a few more productive years. I hated seeing him and Williams go.
Lol I've never heard Willie being a horrible person.. whats the story there?
- Oct 13, 2018
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I probably can't post it on here, you'll have to google.
edit: also the Canucks had 6 top 4 D that year, Hamhuis, Bieksa, Edler, Ehrhoff, Ballard, and Salo.
As much as I liked Mitchell, he didn't really fit. The Capitals on the other hand, they absolutely should have signed him.
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Lol, that's such weird back-to-back years because both teams made it again, I think it loses some of its appeal that the Penguins won it after losing since the Red Wings also made it.
That one stings because they absolutely would have been the favourites.Calgary in 05... it's a blank slate.
hangman005
Mark Stones Spleen
Calgary in 05... it's a blank slate.
Came to say this, we were robbed in Calgary and the robber got away with it.
LeafalCrusader
Registered User
2020 Bruins. President Trophy winners after the cup finals loss then Covid hit and lost in the bubble.
hangman005
Mark Stones Spleen
LeafalCrusader
Registered User
What kind of leafs fan are you
Could say the same thing about Tampa, setup to be a wagon of a team again.Calgary in 05... it's a blank slate.
I was still fairly young in 2005, maybe I'm misremembering but ive heard all kinds of teams that could've had legit claims to the throne that year... Tampa, Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto, Carolina, Colorado, Buffalo...
Matty Sundin
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- Jul 18, 2006
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Nashville after 2017 finals seemed like a team on the rise.
Vancouver gets a lot crap for blowing it in 2011, but they were still a very good team the following year and then ran into a silent monster in the LA Kings.
I thought Flyers would at the least be better after 2010 as their roster other than goaltending was solid.
Vancouver gets a lot crap for blowing it in 2011, but they were still a very good team the following year and then ran into a silent monster in the LA Kings.
I thought Flyers would at the least be better after 2010 as their roster other than goaltending was solid.
Devils probably?
Stevens who was injured and couldn't play in the 2004 playoff stated that he was ready for the 2005 season, Niedermayer would still be there for the run before heading to the Ducks.
Brian Gionta, and Jamie Lagenbrunner both became dominant in 2006 so I'd think/hope that they would have done the same in the 2005 season.
