Eichel is probably salty due to Draisaitl costing him $2 million, and also having to watch the other young studs, Matthews and co. and McDavid and co. in the playoffs.
Every year there seems to be at least one first round shocker. I don't know if any of my picks are shockers, but here goes:
Washington over Toronto in
6. Goaltending and defense favor Washington.
Montreal over NYR in
6. Under Julien, and with all the tough guys he brought in, Kreider won't be running Price in this series.
Columbus over Pittsburgh in
7. This will be my upset. Torts hates the Pens, and the Letang injury is a factor.
Boston over Ottawa in
7. The hockey gods dislike the trap.
Part of this is wishful thinking, but I think the big pressure on the Bruins this year was making the playoffs. That's achieved, so I think Rask will be in the zone and the players will finally solve Boucher's dreaded trap.
Chicago over Nashville in
6. If the stars align, this could be an upset; but Rinne has been inconsistent. Anisimov is scheduled to return, and as good as Boston's top line was at times, Kane-Anisimov-Panarin is the best line in hockey.
Anaheim over Calgary in
6. I want to pick Calgary, due to the Ducks' recent playoff flops; but their record in Anaheim is concerning. This one will get nasty.
St. Louis over Minnesota in
7. Is this the year Boudreau turns things around and limps in the regular season, but turns it on in the playoffs instead? With Dubnyk out of gas, not likely.
Edmonton over San Jose in
6. In 2012, both the Bruins and Canucks flamed out in the first round despite high seedings. Carryover from a short off season? Could be. So I've picked against San Jose and Pittsburgh.