West remains tight; East more balanced
The Nashville Predators are proof anything is possible in the NHL playoffs. History suggests they are up against quite a challenge.
Nashville made it into the last postseason as the eighthseeded team in the Western Conference and ended up becoming the third team seeded last to reach the Stanley Cup Finals since 1994.
The Predators couldn’t stop Pittsburgh from repeating, and they’re about to find out how hard it is to defend a championship in their stacked conference. The Western Conference has not had a repeat champion since the Detroit Red Wings pulled off the feat in 2008 and 2009, hosting a Stanley Cup and then losing a Game 7 against the Penguins.
“This year, our expectation is to be in the playoffs, but our expectation is also to give ourselves the best opportunity to win hockey games and to play in our building as much as we can because our fans were so great, especially through the run,” defenseman P. K. Subban said.
The Predators seem set up for more success. Mike Fisher retired and was effectively replaced on the ice by Pittsburgh center Nick Bonino. General manager David Poile has goaltender Pekka Rinne under contract for two more seasons to go with top-line forwards Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg, along with Subban for at least five years. Log jam ahead: Colorado, easily the NHL’s worst team last season, might be the only team in the Central Division without a legitimate shot to make the playoffs. The division was so tough last season that Nashville finished a relatively distant fourth behind Chicago, Minnesota and St. Louis. Dallas seemed to lead the league in major moves. Don’t sleep on Winnipeg, either. The Jets have made the playoffs only once in the past decade, but they could qualifty this season. Cautious McDavid: The Pacific Division is so stacked even the 20-year-old, reigning NHL MVP with a $100 million contract is far from cocky about his team’s chances. “It’s so competitive,” said Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who was given an eight-year extension last summer. “It is a grind. And the Pacific, especially, I think you see a lot of teams that are right around that 100-point mark, 95-point mark, that are kind of right on the cusp.” California dreaming: Ryan Getzlaf, who shows no sign of slipping at the age of 32, is back to lead the five-time defending Pacific Division champion Ducks. Coming off their second trip to the conference finals in three years, they’re desperately seeking their first trip to the Cup Finals since winning it all in 2007. The Kings are hoping to re-open their championship-contending window with head coach John Stevens replacing Darryl Sutter. Experience in Vegas: The Vegas Golden Knights are betting on a few players making at least $5 million this season to help them be relatively competitive in their debut season: goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and forwards James Neal and Reilly Smith. The franchise’s path to potential success won’t be with castaways from other teams, but by drafting and developing players. The Knights had three of the top 15 picks in the draft, including center Cody Glass sixth overall, but they don’t plan to rush any of them to the big show on the Strip.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
A handful of Pittsburgh players whose names are on the Stanley Cup, some of them twice or even three times, are gone.
The same goes for core players from the back-to-back Presidents’ Trophy winning Capitals.
The goliaths of the East haven’t fallen apart, but maybe they’ve lost enough to make the conference winnable for just about anyone. Pittsburgh no longer has forwards Nick Bonino, Chris Kunitz and Matt Cullen, defensemen Trevor Daley or goaltender MarcAndre Fleury. Washington couldn’t afford to keep Justin Williams, Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk.
The Penguins and Capitals are still favored to finish 1-2 in the Metropolitan Division, but improvements made by the Rangers and Hurricanes, and a return to health for members of the Lightning have cracked the Eastern Conference wide open. Youth is served: Auston Matthews is only 20, but now there’s a whole new crop of potential teenage stars, including the Devils’ No. 1 pick, Nico Hischier, and the Flyers’ No. 2 pick, Nolan Patrick. Price is right: The Canadiens lost defenseman Andrei Markov and winger Alexander Radulov and traded their top defensive prospect for forward Jonathan Drouin. Montreal probably should make the playoffs despite all of the changes because of goaltender Carey Price, who won the Hart and Vezina Trophies in 2014-15 and missed most of the 2015-16 season with a knee injury. C’mon, Crosby: After leading the league with 44 goals in the regular season and the playoffs with 27 assists, there’s no doubting Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby has another MVP season in him. Teammates and opponents usually expect him to sharpen another skill, though he simply could keep scoring goals better than anyone else. Bright lights on the big city: The Rangers added Shattenkirk, re-signed Brendan Smith and traded Derek Stepan to retool while goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is still in his prime. Across town, the Islanders are hoping to re-sign captain John Tavares before he can become a free agent next summer. New York is where it’s at, and there’s no shortage of drama.