Who is the biggest surprise team this year?

[SeanMoneyHands]

Can be either good or bad.

 

[WillardJFredricks]

Nashville for me. I didn't expect a cup, but I figured they'd have their usual strong season, get into the playoffs and get knocked out in round 1.

 

[centipede2233]

Washington wins hands down.

As a second, NY rangers and canucks missing the playoffs is pretty shocking, one was the presidents trophy winner, the other won the pacific division.

 

[I am not exposed]

Tough call between Washington and New York Rangers.

 

[bobholly39]

Shouldn't Montreal be an option here?

In December they were in last place in the east.
At four nation break - they were tied for 2nd to last place in the east.

They haven't clinched a playoff spot as of this post, but are super close.

 

[CanMerc]

For me it’s the nose dive Vancouver took compared to last season

 

[biturbo19]

For me, it's the absolute implosion of the Canucks. Somehow, as bad as it looks just in falling off and missing the playoffs...it's actually so much worse than that. It's not just the team having an "off year", it's the entire nucleus of the team basically blowing apart in catastrophic fashion. All from what, rolling into the season...looked like largely an improved version of the team that was essentially within a goal of the Western finals last year. So it's taking a step back...combined with a level of turmoil and internal drama that took on a life of it's own and will have continued repercussions beyond this year even.



Washington at the top of the heap is certainly surprising as well. It's surprising in just how successful they've been this year...but i don't think it's of the same magnitude overall. They always looked like a playoff team, who got noticeably better this offseason. Didn't expect President's Trophy good, but solidly within the playoffs was always reasonable, and as much as they've won an absolute ton this year...it really still feels more like just "everything going right" most of the time, rather than some absolute wagon of a team dominating in every aspect of the game or anything. They're not a truly "scary" President's Trophy team like some we've seen in the past. More just...the most successful of a bunch of other good teams that haven't necessarily played up to 100% capacity all year in the East.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Went with Washington, Nashville a close second. Washington being the top team in the East was not on my bingo card. Every "castoff" or underrated player they've acquired over the past few seasons have worked out amazingly and Ovechkin is having a renaissance year, playing at a 50 goal pace.

Nashville being a bottom three team is the opposite end of the spectrum. Yeah the guys they signed are old but they aren't (or at least I didn't believe they were) untalented. That they're vastly worse than they were at their lowest point last year (just before the cancelled U2 concert) when they seemingly improved is nuts.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

How is Montreal not an option lol I thought they’d finish bottom 5

 

[NyQuil]

Caps.

 

[BB79]

How is Montreal not an option lol I thought they’d finish bottom 5

They are..it's called "other"

I'm going with Rangers downfall

 

[spiny norman]

Definitely Washington's success this season.

 

[HansonBro]

Can be either good or bad.

Good poll OP. I went Rangers as I feel its the most unbelievable

 

[Strangle]

Ottawa for me. What a trash team.

I would have said the bruins, but I expected last year to be the year they crashed and burned

 

[Coffee]

Ottawa for me. What a trash team.

Hey take that back, please!

 

[BB79]

Ottawa for me. What a trash team.

I would have said the bruins, but I expected last year to be the year they crashed and burned

We had to beat the Leafs one last time before rebuilding

 

[JKG33]

Vancouver going to shit wasnt that unexpected, they should've traded piss baby EP in the offseason.

Also i dont think LA was that unexpected, theyre maybe slightly better than normal but this is pretty much buisness as usual.. 2nd or 3rd in the pac.

Ottawa was probably overdue by a year for a playoff appearance. With getting Ullmark in the offseason I wouldnt call them finishing 7th unexpected.

Rags were maybe a slight surprise, but I always thought they had been overachieving. Winnipeg is the opposite, a mid team that isnt entirely surprising to see them overacheive in the regular season.

I'd go with Washihgton as most unexpected, I for one thought they were cooked. Nashville's failure is a close 2nd. Habs and BJs probably both deserve an honorable mention, they were looked at as bottom 8ish teams.

 

[heretik27]

Didn't think Washington had it in them, so that's my pick.

 

[biturbo19]

How is Montreal not an option lol I thought they’d finish bottom 5

I mean, it's definitely a surprise. They've had a run and it's fun for sure. But at the end of the day...they're a team that is going to back in to the playoffs with a point total that'd be good for like 3+ spots out in the West. And that's if they don't somehow fumble on the goal-line.


The East has just been kind of open season for those Wildcard and last Division seed sort of tickets.

Entirely plausible the Habs make the playoffs with less points than 3 teams in the West who miss.

 

[majormajor]

Per Dom L, it would be the Jackets season that is most improbable.

Why the Blue Jackets’ odds-defying season signals a bright future

The Blue Jackets look likely to make the playoffs. Defying the odds to this degree could be a signal of even better things to come.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Ezpz]

I mean, it's definitely a surprise. They've had a run and it's fun for sure. But at the end of the day...they're a team that is going to back in to the playoffs with a point total that'd be good for like 3+ spots out in the West. And that's if they don't somehow fumble on the goal-line.


The East has just been kind of open season for those Wildcard and last Division seed sort of tickets.

Entirely plausible the Habs make the playoffs with less points than 3 teams in the West who miss.

That's cause the west is incredibly top heavy. There's no parity and everyone's point totals are inflated because of the pacific division and Chicago. Boston is dead last in the east and is within striking range of 11th in the west. Nashville is the third lowest team in the west and would need a 5 game win streak to not be the worst team in the east. San Jose would need to play 164 games to make the playoffs in the east.

 

[GRob83]

The Capitals going from -37 goal differential to +57 is truly incredible.

 

[banks]

Nashville and Columbus, for opposite reasons.

The CBJ season has been a joy to follow, as they've done a great job giving their fans something worth cheering for after a tragic start with JG's death. It's been a huge and pleasant surprise to see them this close to a playoff spot. One of the best stories of the whole season.

Nashville, however, is all on the negative side. I wasn't sure if Stammer would live up to the contract, but I didn't think it would be this bad! From the games I've watched, he's looked like a corpse. Add that to Marchessault and ROR having down years, and the team somehow still can't score.

 

[Xspyrit]

Ottawa is not a surprise, Steve Staios just had a bit more time to undo some of Pierre Dorion's stink, progressively.

A team with great young talent that got held back from a disaster of a trifecta, Eugene Melnyk, Pierre Dorion and DJ Smith. Can't think of a worse trio in NHL history. Even after Melnyk's passing, it took a while for the team to be sold so that also held the team back from making the necessary changes (Dorion)

Staios has been able to :

- get rid of Korpisalo's contract for a 4th line C (Kastelic), bring in Ullmark for a late 1st (all Dorion could get back in the DeBrincat fiasco)
- trade the 8 M$ contract of a talented but injury prone guy to bring a younger, slightly cheaper and available 2nd line Center with great potential
- trade a 4th line C (Ostapchuk) and a 2nd for Zetterlund
- get rid of an off-ice problem in Joseph, sign a reliable bottom-6 forward in Amadio
- bring in a solid vet in Perron (although, very unlucky in the first half of the season)
- adding good depth for cheap in Cousins and Gaudette
- even though the Sens lost the trade big time, brought in Jensen (from another Dorion fiasco in Chychrun) to stabilize Thomas Chabot, a key player
- bring in a more professional coaching staff able to instill 2-way hockey (DJ Smith couldn't to save his life)

Ottawa for me. What a trash team.

A trash team that will most likely eliminate your favorite team in the first round of the playoffs. Are you ready for that? lmao

 

[HitterD]

Washington makes sense for sure, HM to the Flames though, who almost everyone predicted would be picking top 5 if not top 3 in this year's draft. Instead its Game 81 tonight and they still have a shot at a playoff spot, and have more points than the NJ devils whom they traded their #1 goaltender to in the offseason.