Which is more likely - Colorado finishing last or Ottawa winning the Cup?

[Xspyrit]

Both have 0.00001% chance of happening. Voted Ottawa because of a much bigger possiblity of happening!

To be honest, when SJ acquired EK, how many people saw them plummeting the way they did.

I thought they were primed for a decline but not as fast and certainly not because of Karlsson as a major cause. But didn't know how bad his foot surgery would "damage" him.

 

[bobholly39]

People are overestimating how unlikely it is for Colorado (or any top team) to finish last. All it takes is 1 or 2 big events, and it becomes a real possibility. Such as:

- Big Mack Injury. Or big Makar injury. Or - both?
- Big locker room drama/implosion, or trade request

For Ottawa to actually win the cup....well, that's just so far fetched. On the most positive of outlooks - maybe they're not a bottom feeder this year and contend for a playoff spot as a bubble team. They looked good at times last year. Still nowhere close to being able to eliminate some powerhouses in playoffs, let alone 4 teams all the way to the cup.

People might look at the Habs who made the finals last year and think anything is possible - but although Habs did play great as a team, a lot of it was Carey Price being a huge x-factor. When at his best, he's still one of the best players in the league. Ottawa has no one like that, let alone goalie, which is the most impactful position.

It's not impossible that Ottawa wins the cup. But it's a lot more likely Colorado suffers one or two key injuries, and that their season goes off the rails/self-implodes.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Goalies have carried average teams to Stanley Cups before. I don’t think Ottawa is even average or has that type of goalie but the position is so random that it has to make that option more possible than that Avalanche team finishing last. Not just bottom 5, but dead last over teams like Buffalo? Even if Kuemper, Mackinnon and Makar go down with season ending injuries on day one of the season they have guys like Toews, Rantanen, Landeskog and Girard who would still be far better than a team like Buffalo.

 

[PAZ]

Even if the worst case scenario happened for Colorado and Mack, Makar, Rants, Girard, Kuemper, etc. all got injured they still wouldn’t come in last.

They could miss the playoffs and end up a lottery team if that happened, but for the team to finish last it would require them to swap their entire organization with Buffalo or something stupid.

 

[SUX2BU]

Which one?

Neither

 

[Nihiliste]

Makar and Kuemper are already injury prone. If they get hurt along with Mackinnon for any length of the time they could easily wind up being awful

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Makar and Kuemper are already injury prone. If they get hurt along with Mackinnon for any length of the time they could easily wind up being awful

Good point. If any other team lost the 2nd best centre in the world, 2nd best defneseman in the world and their starting goalie I think they would suffer too. What's funny though is that in your scenario of Colorado losing those 3, they're still better than a bunch of teams.

 

[Nihiliste]

Good point. If any other team lost the 2nd best centre in the world, 2nd best defneseman in the world and their starting goalie I think they would suffer too. What's funny though is that in your scenario of Colorado losing those 3, they're still better than a bunch of teams.

i don’t really get what you’re so defensive about, it doesn’t take a lot for the wheels to fall off of a team

 

[Dr Pepper]

All Ottawa needs to do is make the playoffs, not entirely unheard of if they go on a heater and a LOT of things break their way.

I'd bet my mortgage on Colorado not finishing last though. Zero chance that happens.

(This'll be fun a year from now if the Avs somehow freefall)