NY at times last night (like on 4-on-4) looked incredibly sharp. Plus they have a great goalie. They aren’t going anywhere. If I had to predict the playoffs right now it would be:
Caps, Canes, Devils
Panthers, Leafs, Lightning
and then the two wildcards would come from Sens, Rangers, Bruins, and maybe Wings.
The Bruins and Rangers have the experience, and the Red Wings and Sens are ahead of us on the rebuild.
I expect us to finish 10th - 12th in the East. (Which, by the way, is serious improvement.)
Do I like trying and not tanking given where the team is in its development? Yes. Do I make some moves for the short term and not trade Provorov? No.