Which teams were "successful"?

[Paper]

Obviously everyone wants to win the Cup, but what teams no longer vying for it would you consider to have had a successful season?

With 3 wins in the second round this is the Leafs best season since 2002, hard to call that anything but a success.

Capitals overachieving in the regular season given expectations and the season of Ovechkin, from an outsider I call it a success. It was at least fun for me.

It ended bittersweet but Columbus definitely surprised with their emotional season. It's tough to really weigh but I think you got to call it a success given tragic circumstances.

Do the Islanders winning the lottery shift a disappointing season into something else?

Jet fans, is the President trophy enough of a consolation award for the season?

 

[Sasha Orlov]

With 3 wins in the second round this is the Leafs best season since 2002, hard to call that anything but a success.

Too funny bro

 

[Lshap]

Montreal's season was a success. Outside fans predicted the Habs would finish at the bottom. So did a good chunk of their own fans. A slim majority of us thought we'd finish close to a playoff spot.

91 points and making the playoffs was more than almost all of us predicted. Montreal's a very young team that's trending up.

 

[Dr Robot]

If it wasn’t for the brutal way we lost game 7, the blues season would have been considered a huge success.

 

[Drake1588]

Leading the conference and winning a round certainly eclipsed expectations from a Capitals point of view. On the other hand, they clearly hit a brick wall in terms of what the present team can do once it got to Carolina. Sounds like they're going to tinker in the summer, and give opportunity to prospects to make the club.

 

[Les LatterDaySkates]

Obviously everyone wants to win the Cup, but what teams no longer vying for it would you consider to have had a successful season?

With 3 wins in the second round this is the Leafs best season since 2002, hard to call that anything but a success.

Capitals overachieving in the regular season given expectations and the season of Ovechkin, from an outsider I call it a success. It was at least fun for me.

It ended bittersweet but Columbus definitely surprised with their emotional season. It's tough to really weigh but I think you got to call it a success given tragic circumstances.

Do the Islanders winning the lottery shift a disappointing season into something else?

Jet fans, is the President trophy enough of a consolation award for the season?

Every team that makes it to the second round is successful.

Hell, every team that makes it to the playoffs is successful.

these teams do not measure success as “Stanley Cup or bust” - every playoff round won produces tens of thousands of lifelong fans.

 

[Turin]

Jets fans got to celebrate and enjoy their evenings more times than any other team during the regular season and had the most unlikely playoff third period comeback in many years. They got 7 playoff home games. About as good as not getting to the conference final gets I guess. The vibe I get from the market is that people are happier with the product than they’ve been in a long time

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Montreal's season was a success. Outside fans predicted the Habs would finish at the bottom. So did a good chunk of their own fans. A slim majority of us thought we'd finish close to a playoff spot.

91 points and making the playoffs was more than almost all of us predicted. Montreal's a very young team that's trending up.

It’s insane they made the playoffs considering how bad they were at the start.

 

[jetsforever]

Jets fans got to celebrate and enjoy their evenings more times than any other team during the regular season and had the most unlikely playoff third period comeback in many years. They got 7 playoff home games. About as good as not getting to the conference final gets I guess. The vibe I get from the market is that people are happier with the product than they’ve been in a long time

Yeah it had a sad ending but finishing #1 in the league for the first time and then 2 really exciting playoff series was definitely enough to make this a great season

 

[MadLuke]

Hell, every team that makes it to the playoffs is successful.

these teams do not measure success as “Stanley Cup or bust”

Some could be close too, like the Oilers, for almost all team it is not cup or bust, for those used to get really close to it recently, they can feel differently. Like, I am not sure that it feel as a big success for the Leafs because of where the team's wise in its cycle and level of talent.

While Montreal just being in the race for a playoff spot was a big success, let alone making it, let alone making it a fun series and not loosing in 4, all gravy,...

 

[JJ68]

It’s insane they made the playoffs considering how bad they were at the start.

Habs are amazing and will win the 25th soon. Might be the next canadian cup winner if the oilers dont do it this season.

 

[Mr Nogatco]

I was thinking earlier this year how it seemed like more teams than ever had something to be happy about with the way their seasons played out.

Even teams that missed the playoffs like Pens (finally started long awaited rebuild and restocking farm system), Isles (Lou out, 1OA), BJ’s (JG tragedy aside; team showed lots of promise) etc etc

Not to mention teams like CGY WAS MTL who outperformed most everyone’s preseason expectations

 

[Sports2]

Dallas losing in the WCF would suck, but winning the 1st round shorthanded and taking care of business in the 2nd round against a team they don’t match up great against are huge positives. As long as they come together and show up- if they lose a hard fought series I couldn’t be mad.

 

[Suntouchable13]

In the Atlantic, Ottawa and MTL

In the Merto, Washington and Columbus. Carolina if they make the SCF

In the central, WPG, Dallas, St. Louis despite the way game 7 ended for them

In the pacific, I’d say Calgary, Edmonton if they win the cup.

 

[MrLunatik]

I'd say the Flames season was a success.

We were projected to finish near the bottom, but we finished tied for the final playoff spot, losing the tie breaker and we didn't just do it on the backs of veterans... Wolf stood on his head and in most years he'd be a Calder lock, Coronato really started breaking out scoring 24 in his first full season in the league... Zary continued improving and showed flashes of being a game breaker and despite 2 brutal looking knee injuries still finished at .5ppg... Kevin Bahl stepped up playing on teh top pair and looked awesome almost all year... Pospisil and Klapka showed flashes of being more than 4th liners.