It looks like we won't have a cinderella this year

[Danrs112]

In general, the west was filled with rebuilding teams.
Even making the post season in the central is a task every year.
It was almost a foregone conclusion they would make the post season in the west.

Maybe more bubble teams in Central but I think once in the Playoffs this year might have been tougher having to go through both Vegas and COL vs COL + insert random Central bubble team

 

[Gnova]

The fact that there are more teams in the league makes it less likely there is a Cinderella team. When you had 16 out of 21 teams make it there'd inevitably be some bad teams in the playoffs so you get something like the 1991 North Stars making the finals, but now since almost half of the teams (and half for next year) miss now, you're going to have at least OK teams make it in.

They are eventually expand it to 20 or 24 teams and then the Cinderella stories can happen again.
3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5 should have playing rounds imo. It is hard to keep casual fans interested if their team is basically out of the running by US Thanksgiving.

 

[Gnova]

Maybe more bubble teams in Central but I think once in the Playoffs this year might have been tougher having to go through both Vegas and COL vs COL + insert random Central bubble team

What I am saying is next year the Wild won't even be in the post season let alone worry about who they have to face in the playoffs.

 

[Danrs112]

What I am saying is next year the Wild won't even be in the post season let alone worry about who they have to face in the playoffs.

I think it's just as likely they are in next year as WPG, STL or NSH.

Only need to beat out one of them...or maybe none if Central gets both Wild Cards

 

[McShogun99]

There's a lot of teams left that aren't cup favorites. Montreal, Winnipeg, NYI and Boston, you could even make an argument for Tampa since they were a 3 seed but that was based on a regular season without Kucherov.

 

[Hockeyholic]

There's a lot of teams left that aren't cup favorites. Montreal, Winnipeg, NYI and Boston, you could even make an argument for Tampa since they were a 3 seed but that was based on a regular season without Kucherov.

The bolded winning the cup wouldn't really be Cinderella. Or stunning.

Now if Montreal won the cup? Absolutely. But that's not going to happen.

As a casual fan, I want to see the best teams playing. Nobody wants to see Colorado destroy Montreal in the Finals. Just like nobody wanted to see the inevitable sweep Colorado had over Florida in 96. Except Avs fans of course.

TB/Car-Col in the finals. Or even TB/Boston would be more entertaining. Jmo.

 

[D1az]

I like it this way. Strong teams moving forwards so far, with really anyone of them being a worthy and "expected" Stanley Cup Champion.
Cinderella stories are nice once in a while, but I don't necessarily want to see them too often, as it feels like too much of a coin toss that way.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I like it this way. Strong teams moving forwards so far, with really anyone of them being a worthy and "expected" Stanley Cup Champion.
Cinderella stories are nice once in a while, but I don't necessarily want to see them too often, as it feels like too much of a coin toss that way.

Cinderella stories suck because they get used by Twitter fans to say "why would we rebuild, remember when X shitty team went on a run and got dummied in the stanley cup finals?!" as a reason to not rebuild.

 

[JianYang]

Cinderella teams are usually easy to get behind, but even as a habs fan, I find this edition of the team to be so frustrating to watch.

Price is the reason that this series has gone deep, but I've seen the habs play the role of Cinderella a few times before, and this does not have the same feel. It's a slow team that becomes even slower due to the dmen often not being able to connect with their forwards in stride.

There's nothing inspiring about it.

 

[JianYang]

Nobody in the North division is a serious contender.

I think the leafs just might be one.

It's a bit difficult to gauge right now because the habs are so bad, but they got most of the peices you look for. They might need the stars to align a little bit, but they have some hope at least.

 

[TimeZone]

I think the leafs just might be one.

It's a bit difficult to gauge right now because the habs are so bad, but they got most of the peices you look for. They might need the stars to align a little bit, but they have some hope at least.

The Leafs could be one on paper but I'm not even sure they're capable of finishing off a terrible Canadiens team at this point.

Zero killer instinct.

 

[IslesBro715]

I might be in the minority. But I don't like a lot of upsets in round 1.

That is why I lost some interest in 2019 after round 1. There were too many upsets that year.

1) Too many upsets in round 1 makes the regular season feel meaningless.

2) You look forward to certain "must-see clash of the titans" type matchups happening in the playoffs, and too many upsets means these matchups never happen.

1) The regular season isn't meaningless, standings determine the outcome of who gets home ice which can be huge come playoff time.

2) playoff hockey is completely different than regular season. Much more defensive and less room for elite forwards to operate. In a way it's a whole new game where lesser seeds can defeat higher seeds if their team is constructed for playoff hockey.

 

[JianYang]

The Leafs could be one on paper but I'm not even sure they're capable of finishing off a terrible Canadiens team at this point.

Zero killer instinct.

From a non leaf fan POV, it could be one of those cases where if they get past round 1 (which I still think is a matter of when and not if), then they clear that mental hurdle, which could really ignite a switch for the inner core of the team that hasn't really tasted a playoff series win yet.

If that happens, the big question for me is in goal. Campbell's life has been very easy against Montreal, and if he appears that he's no longer up to the task against stiffer competition, are they willing to take a shot at freddy?

Other than that, I don't see why they can't take the next step if they get out of their own heads.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

...so if the Habs count as a "Cinderella" story, does that make Matthews & Nylander the Ugly Step-Sisters??...

 

[NightMist]

If you wear the wrong attire to the Amalie Ball, you'll turn into a pumpkin.

That's okay, since we just went through 15 months of being outcast from all of humanity if we didn't wear a face diaper at Walmart. I'm sure the Panthers dad and son duo will survive somehow

 

[Crazy Cizikas]

I can’t remember the last time people considered the Islanders to be overdogs.

 

[Woodrow]

I don't think you can consider the defending cup champions a cinderella.

 

[D1az]

Cinderella stories suck because they get used by Twitter fans to say "why would we rebuild, remember when X shitty team went on a run and got dummied in the stanley cup finals?!" as a reason to not rebuild.

Reason number 8712 why one stays away from the mental institution known as "twitter".