What teams that didn't make the playoffs this year will be expected to next year?

I know as a die hard jackets fan, I sure expect them to come out hungry and make the playoffs.

I don’t think i’m just ‘wishful thinking’ either.
I think it is very realistic especially with as much cap space as we have. I have full
trust in Don Waddell and Dean Evason.
 
I know as a die hard jackets fan, I sure expect them to come out hungry and make the playoffs.

I don’t think i’m just ‘wishful thinking’ either.
I think it is very realistic especially with as much cap space as we have. I have full
trust in Don Waddell and Dean Evason.

...y'all definitely make it next year...lots of reasons to be happy with the direction... :thumbu:
 
I don’t know about “expected” to make the playoffs but I could see CGY, Utah and Anaheim all flirting with Wild Card spots. Issue is I don’t see too many of the current West playoff teams falling off too much next yr. The entire Conference should be pretty stacked next yr.
 
I think everyone knows that the Jackets aint making the playoffs with that loser-culture they have ingrained in their organization.

Detroit, Utah, Calgary and the Rangers makes it next year.
 
In theory the Flames should be better next year. They barely missed the playoffs this year and they’ve still got a decent prospect pool and a ton of cap room if they want to use it.

Teams that surprise one year often take a step back before becoming legitimately good though, so who knows. I could just as easily see them having a disappointing season next year, which wouldn’t really be a bad thing for them long-term.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Daz28
Vancouver should have made it this year and will definitely make it next year, barring another wackadoo set of circumstances.

Demko, EP and Chytil are all healthy going into the summer, they have over 20 million in cap and picks and prospects, the latter can help or be traded for help.

I get people love seeing nuck fans suffer for some reason but the optics are pretty funny considering all the doom and gloom yet it took our #1 goalie being out for 60 games, our star C not healthy until game 70 only to get hurt again, losing JT numerous injuries to key players with only Debrusk and Blueger playing all 82.

On a positive note our Dcorp was transformed, our goalie tandem should be damn good and guys like Raty, Lekkerimakki and EP2 all showed promise.
 
In the East? maybe Columbus in? It'll be harder for them without all that additional motivation though. So I guess if they're in, Ottawa out?
 
I think everyone knows that the Jackets aint making the playoffs with that loser-culture they have ingrained in their organization.

Detroit, Utah, Calgary and the Rangers makes it next year.
Nothing spells losing culture more than making a push for the playoffs after your best player dies in a horrible tragedy and having constant long term injuries to your best forwards all year long.
 
Utah.

Exciting team on the cusp. I think STL will fall off again, first half is far more who they actually are.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mosby
I don’t know about “expected” to make the playoffs but I could see CGY, Utah and Anaheim all flirting with Wild Card spots. Issue is I don’t see too many of the current West playoff teams falling off too much next yr. The entire Conference should be pretty stacked next yr.

Ducks won't unless the coach or his philosophy changes. I mean, the last two nights in meaningless games he still played the hell out of his old guys. He's the wrong coach for a developing team. What possible justification is there for playing guys like Trouba or Gudas 25+ minutes at this stage? Why on earth have they played guys like Strome on the PP all year?

That said, the young forwards made significant strides late in the season, and there was Lacombe's bigtime emergence. If those guys continue on that path, Dostal keeps progressing, and they have another young dman emerge next year, and this becomes a very appealing gig. Whereas when Cronin was hired they were godawful, no coach worth his salt was gonna take that gig. You never wanna be the guy coming in with a bunch of teenagers and 20 year olds, you'll be fired before they develop. You wanna be the guy who comes in when they're like 22-25 and on the verge of breaking out.
 
I know as a die hard jackets fan, I sure expect them to come out hungry and make the playoffs.

I don’t think i’m just ‘wishful thinking’ either.
I think it is very realistic especially with as much cap space as we have. I have full
trust in Don Waddell and Dean Evason.

I'm a Habs fan and I'd put both of our teams in a similar tier....where absolutely everyone expected us to be bottom feeders this year, and we both competed and surprised a ton. Obviously Habs made it in, and you guys are just barely out.

But - for next year - I don't think it changes much in terms of expectations. I think both teams will again be underdogs (if Habs do great in playoffs, expectations could rise) who will battle for a playoff spot, but who a lot of people expect will fall short.

Can Columbus make it? Yes - but they don't strike me as one of those teams "expected" to make it at all.

I'd say:

Rangers (if they can stop with all the off-ice drama)
Vancouver

Two non playoff teams who majority of hockey world will expect to make it next year.
 
Why would you have any expectations at this point about whether or not a team will make the 2026 playoffs? Doesn't it make more sense to wait until, like, mid-July, after teams have made the vast majority of their moves, before evaluating playoff expectations?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Regal and kerrabria
Curious what you think a realistic playoff-bound Bruins forward depth chart will look like next season. Not even trolling.
With a healthy D core & not a dummy behind the bench the B's prolly would have made it this year in a wild card spot.
Had a near league worst pp and penalty kill.

They were in the fight till the deadline without Lindholm and McAvoy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bocephus86
I'm a Habs fan and I'd put both of our teams in a similar tier....where absolutely everyone expected us to be bottom feeders this year, and we both competed and surprised a ton. Obviously Habs made it in, and you guys are just barely out.

But - for next year - I don't think it changes much in terms of expectations. I think both teams will again be underdogs (if Habs do great in playoffs, expectations could rise) who will battle for a playoff spot, but who a lot of people expect will fall short.

Can Columbus make it? Yes - but they don't strike me as one of those teams "expected" to make it at all.

I'd say:

Rangers (if they can stop with all the off-ice drama)
Vancouver

Two non playoff teams who majority of hockey world will expect to make it next year.
The biggest difference between Montreal and Columbus is cap space. The Jackets have the most in the league. The Habs have the 4th LEAST amount of cap space. If Waddell plays it right, they could make a huge upgrade this off-season.
If they
1. Sure up the goalie
2. Swap Provorov and Severson for upgrades
Then they will make a push for the playoffs.

All of this is assuming that their young players do not regress or that they are not decimated with injuries, but that is the same for everyone.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Theo Von
Curious what you think a realistic playoff-bound Bruins forward depth chart will look like next season. Not even trolling.
I'm mostly going on the first line of Pasta Lindholm Geekie seeming to find their grove + a healthy defense & a bounce back year from Swayman. This is also known as Hopium.
 
I don’t think i’m just ‘wishful thinking’ either.
I think it is very realistic especially with as much cap space as we have. I have full
trust in Don Waddell and Dean Evason.

Most teams have a wad of cap space to burn and are trying to make big upgrades. There's only so many players available. He might be a good GM but I don't think Don Waddell is a magician.

The big thing the Jackets have is youth. Guys like KJ and Fantilli could easily take another step. Maybe Mateychuk. They could be a lot healthier as well.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Ad

Ad