People need to remembe surprises always happen, while Tampa Toronto and Boston obviously look like locks it’s actually foolish to say they “definitely”are. Toronto could of missed the playoffs last year by a few points and Boston missed the playoffs in an off year just a few years ago did they not, even Tampa bay one year removed off going to the finals missed the playoffs a couple years, ago, these things happen. And IMO while Predict like most of you that all three make it and should be consensus “locks”, you still have to be open minded to the possibility of one of them potentially falling out. Anything can happen, if the goalies turn sour, injuries, the coach having a rift, I’m not sure the leafs got better in the off season we will have to see I guess. I know while I say “LOCK” it sounds like a contradiction because lock means for sure. So I’ll just rephrase it to “yes, for sure if things go as expected without a major I juries\slumps, but if it hits the fan or a surprise team like Montreal or Florida or dare I say buffalo turns on the engine who knows. (Buffalo is a pipe dream Still but hey) Maybe even the metro takes up five seeeds and that’s how one fall out not in the top three.
While I think Detroit rangers and Chicago are doing a lot of things right and should be good soon, I don’t think it’s this soon.
So I’ll go with like a lot of you
Boston
Toronto
Montreal competes for wildcard and probably loses out to Florida.