Who has the most to prove these playoffs?

[notbias]

Before I comment, can you post this list?

McDavid at least makes up for it with more production...

 

[Stelio Kontos]

View attachment 851601

Here are the last 3 years for playoff success.. those smashing the Oil (and McD) better be TB, Knights, Avs, Canes or Panther fans.lol

Lol..,Oilers winning against the kings or Calgary really isn’t a good flex.

 

[BoHorvat 53]

Will Hughes every win a Cup? What about the Sedins? Linden? Bure? Naslund? Luongo? Some amazing players in Vancouver.. is it their fault they didn't win the Stanley Cup in Vancouver?

There's a very clear difference - none of those players were ever considered the best player in the world. McDavid has now been the consensus #1 player in the world for 8 straight years, and has 1 WCF appearance to show for it.

McDavid is a free agent in 2026, which is in 2 years - just around the corner. Acting naive regarding what's going on is certainly a choice, but the pressure is absolutely on in Edmonton.

 

[BoHorvat 53]

View attachment 851601

Here are the last 3 years for playoff success.. those smashing the Oil (and McD) better be TB, Knights, Avs, Canes or Panther fans.lol

It's not just these last 3 years though, it's about the last (nearly) decade that McDavid has been the best player in the league, with just a WCF sweep to show for it - how can you say there is no pressure on the Oilers? You have potentially a top 5 player of all time at the peak of his powers who has never even made a Stanley Cup Final (Also somehow has 0 division titles), and you're acting like there is no pressure?

 

[CokenoPepsi]

Leafs, it is the Leafs and Matthews

 

[Panthers Propaganda]

I think it’s do or die for Carolina to break their conference finals curse. Lots of guys to resign.

 

[ottawa]

Tampa, is this core a two hit wonder or are they a dynasty?

 

[Silky Johnson]

The leafs collectively have the most to prove. Unfortunately for them, they will just confirm that this group can't get it done when it matters.

 

[CanadienShark]

Oilers and Leafs.

 

[oooooooooohCanada]

Yes probably the Leafs or the Oilers in my opinion. It wasn’t that long ago that these two teams were talked about as having “young cores” but if they don’t win soon those cores might not exist at all.

I mean Toronto's core isn't changing. JT is prob gone or making peanuts when his deal is up. Marner is staying in Toronto. He has a full NMC and theres zero reason why he would ever want to leave. He'll get overpaid but they cant trade him so like yeah hes staying.

 

[torniojaws]

Oilers and Leafs have nothing to prove, after 34 years and 57 years of no results.

 

[viper0220]

I think the Canes, they have been hyped a lot in the last 2-3 years. They must do something.

 

[yianik]

"The Core Four"

Forty plus million

One 1st round win in 8 years.

Leafs, easy.

The Oil is distant second but it's not the same. McDavid always shows up.

 

[wintersej]

Carolina is going to have to shake things up this offseason just with contracts expiring.

But it’s to the point where it’s more than fair to start questioning if they need to make bigger changes.

The core seems like it’s just not good enough.

The whole “ultra aggressive man D and then throwing pucks on net from everywhere” seems to have a ceiling against the iron of the league. A twelve game losing streak in the ECF ain’t great.

 

[SoupNazi]

Matthews and McDavid.

 

[Jee]

Brady Skjei

 

[Summer Rose]

As a team, the Jets.

I keep reading post after post after post about the Jets being a small market team and how that's become pretty much frowned upon over any real talk about the team, their struggles and how far they've come to this point. I really want to see the Jets shut up a lot of folks and bring a Cup to Winnipeg.

As a player, McDavid for very obvious reasons.

I will begrudgingly agree with this as a Coyotes fan. A cup would do wonders for their market and I do wish the market well, since I'm not spiteful. That said, I don't like them on principle because they're a Canadian team, so I'm going to be rooting against them in the playoffs, but I can like the market and dislike the team at the same time, if that makes any sense to say.

 

[mandiblesofdoom]

It's more for his legacy, does he want to be mentioned together with Gretzky and Lemieux? Or be a Dionne? Great but with an asterisk.

Team. It's Leafs, that door is closing.

I'm sure he wants to be mentioned with Gretzky & Lemieux, but it's not all in his hands. Hockey is a team sport. Those were great teams. Gretzky didn't win after he left Edmonton.

 

[Peasy]

Leafs and Oilers. Honestly maybe the Bruins as well after the choke last year. They won't have an easy match up round 1 either.

Oilers need to beat a top team in a series for once, and if they dont have a good showing drais may have one foot out the door coming into next season.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Toronto, no doubt.

 

[Lt Dan]

The answer is every team

*standings are the time.of this post

East:

Boston has to prove they are elite after the early exit last season

Florida has to prove that last year's run wasn't a fluke

Toronto has to prove that the series win last year wasn't a fluke

NYR- has to prove that they're arrived and can be a dominate team

The Canes have to prove they are elite and last year's playoffs were cut short because of injuries

NYI- probably has to go deep to keep the core together

Tampa has to prove that their run isn't over

*I am skipping this last wildcard

West:

Dallas has to prove that they are the best team in the league/west

Winnipeg has to prove they've arrived

Colorado likely has another cup in this core and needs to win again

Vancouver has to prove they've arrived

Edmonton needs a deep run because McDrai

Los Angeles probably needs a series win to save their front office's jobs

Gnashville- needs to deep to prove to the world that Barry Trotz' neck is a weapon of mass destruction

Vegas- well they are just cap cheaters

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Nobody needs to worry about the Core 4. They always get the job done when it matters most in the playoffs.

 

[Golden_Jet]

They should try keeping the puck out of the net too... Draisaitl specifically.

They are #1 (Drai) and #2 (McDavid) for GA at even strength over the last 3 years.

#3 is Hedman who has played almost double the amount of games.

Well that’s false lol, and not even close to true.

 

[dirtydanglez]

leafs
oil
vegas

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Toronto
Edmonton
Carolina