There are no guarantees in sports. What makes athletics at the collegiate and the professional level is that sports become the ultimate reality show. There are no predetermined outcomes, do-overs or tiki torches to vote the villains out of the league.
The National Hockey League, like their basketball cousins, has a 16-team playoff. That means that over half of the teams in the league qualify for the postseason. The playoffs ensure profits from at least two more home games and with a parity driven league, give every team hope for a Stanley Cup.
The Chicago Blackhawks just won their second championship in four years but the NHL hasn’t seen a repeat champion since the Detroit Red Wings pulled the repeat in 1997 and 1998. The Los Angeles Kings, champions in 2012, defended their trophy valiantly before falling to the team that would supplant them at the top of the hockey mountain.
People might want to put an asterisk next to the Hawks 2013 title because of the shortened season, but any hockey expert or fan could see that Chicago was the best team in hockey from start to finish.
With the 2013-14 season just three months away, teams will reload and rebuild, looking to fortify and in some cases fleece their roster. The 2013 NHL Draft has come and gone and free agency is about to open up. This offseason should be interesting with the new salary cap and the ability of every franchise to void two contracts each.
Of the 16 teams that made the playoffs this you can bet that one or two will be on the outside looking in next year. The balance of teams across the board means that a couple of breaks here and there could be the difference between playoff hockey or early tee times. Here are five playoff teams from this year that could be hitting the golf course early next spring.
Montreal Canadiens
Sure the Canadiens may have won their division, but they looked horrible in their first round series against Ottawa. They finished dead last in the Eastern Conference a year earlier and though they were a pesky bunch all year, they seemed to be spiraling downward as they headed into the playoffs.
Ottawa Senators
It pains me to say this about the Senators because they were so impressive without their best players all season. They have the reigning Jack Adams winner in coach Paul MacLean, but given the division realignment and the improvement of the teams in the division, Ottawa will struggle. I know this sounds odd, but I just feel like the Senators played much better when no one expected them too. I almost hope I’m wrong here, because I loved their effort this season.
Los Angeles Kings
There is a ton of talent on this roster, make no mistake, but I see a monumental collapse coming in “Tinseltown”. The Kings traded away Jonathan Quick”s insurance policy to Toronto and looked completely listless at times this year. I feel like the Kings are due to really suck. They seemed to play with some pride towards the end of the year and during spells in the playoffs. With no championship to defend and “Stanley Cup Champions” nicely positioned on their collective resume, I look for mediocre hockey to return to the Staples Center.
Minnesota Wild
They were a great story last season, particularly since they shocked the hockey world with the coup of signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter last summer. They played well all year and even threatened to push the Vancouver Canucks for the division title at one point. They skated into the playoffs on fumes and got smoked by the Blackhawks in five games. There should be more cohesion with the Wild with a full training camp and offseason to prepare, but I think that the rest of their division will be much more improved than they will this fall.