From the 2021-22 season to the 2022-23 NHL campaign, the league saw two teams from the Eastern Conference (New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders), and three teams from the Western Conference (Seattle Kraken, Vegas Golden Knights, and Winnipeg Jets) make the playoffs after having missed the year prior. With another offseason almost behind us, it is time to start thinking about which teams will make the jump this upcoming year.
Western Conference Contenders
Nashville Predators – In what many considered to be a disappointing campaign in 2022-23, the Predators still only missed the playoffs by a hair, sitting three points back of the Jets. This offseason, the team filled out the roster with some aggressive moves, adding Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Schenn, and Gustav Nyquist into the mix. The Central Division is top-heavy with the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars likely leading the charge, but the Predators should have some room to sneak their way into the playoffs.
Calgary Flames – The success of the first half of the year for the Flames should largely dictate what this team looks like at the season’s end. If Calgary is unable to come to terms on extensions with Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, and seemingly their entire defensive core, the Flames will likely be one of the biggest sellers at next year’s trade deadline if they are unable to string together some wins. However, if the team plays well, Calgary would only be a couple of rental pieces away from being a legitimate playoff candidate.
St.Louis Blues – A very similar team to the Predators in regards to their circumstances, the Blues could be a sneaky playoff candidate coming out of the Western Conference in the upcoming season. Bringing back a largely similar roster to the one they finished last year with, St.Louis has good young talent, very intriguing project players, and has also added Kevin Hayes to their forward core. Again, playing in a division with only two surefire bets for the playoffs, the Blues could make some noise.
Eastern Conference Contenders
Buffalo Sabres – For the first time in a long time, the last week of the season mattered for Buffalo. Going down to the wire with the Florida Panthers, the Sabres only finished one point outside the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They finished third in the league last year in Goals For but finished a dismal 26th in Goals Against. Their goaltending could become an issue if Devon Levi does not live up to the hype, but adding defensemen such as Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson should help mask some weaknesses between the pipes.
Ottawa Senators – After acquiring Alex DeBrincat at last year’s draft, as well as signing Claude Giroux in the offseason, the Senators seemed poised to return to the playoffs last season. Unfortunately, due to some untimely injuries and poor goaltending performance, Ottawa once again found themselves outside looking in. The team is hoping to have found their answer in the net, signing goaltender Joonas Korpisalo for the next five seasons. The team will also benefit from a full year of defenseman Jakob Chychrun, and now having the privilege of employing Vladimir Tarasenko in the team’s top six could get them back into the mix.
Detroit Red Wings – Copying last offseason’s method, the Red Wings were once again one of the more active teams in free agency this year. Adding players like J.T. Compher, Justin Holl, and James Reimer, Detroit is once again trying to fill holes through their ample cap space. Not feeling they had done enough, the team went out and made a trade with the Senators to bring DeBrincat to Motor City. After some impressive drafts over the last four seasons, the sentiment around the league is that the Red Wings are on the cusp of returning to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately for them, and the two other Eastern teams mentioned, they all find themselves in arguably the toughest division in the game.
Now, we leave it to you. Which team do you think will make it back to the postseason for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs? Will it be one of the teams mentioned above or a team completely off anybody’s radar?
I get it, they are old and haven’t done anything for a few years now. But to not include the Penguins on this list seems misguided.
The mess Hextall left is still better than Detroit, to say nothing of the team Dubas has currently assembled, to say nothing of this team if/when we add Erik Karlsson.
So you’d rather have Pittsburgh’s roster & prospects in 3 years or Detroit’s?
MAYBE Pittsburgh can make a big move and salvage a last run at the playoffs and Finals. But if you asked me which team will have the better record over the next 3, 3-5 seasons combined? I’d take Detroit 10/10 times.
The current team is marginally better than last year’s team IFF there is no drop off from Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel, Letang, etc. If the “core” drops off at all then we just have last years team. The EK fantasy assumes that the Pens will not be trading for the EK who played the 3 years prior to last year – a dman who plays little defense and brings none of the offense he brought last year
Yes.
The Pens are better now.
And even if the Wings are better in a few years, they will max out as a middling team (barring a big trade or a prospect rocketing up the charts) while the Pens should disintegrate into a series of high picks that will hopefully net players better than Kasper and Raymond.
And FTR, the topic was next year, but still yes anyway.
Can you explain his drop off the past few years prior to last year?
You can’t argue he lacks the physical skills or has somehow lost his hockey acumen because he just put up 100 points last year.
He and his wife lost a child. Did that impact his game and his grief has transitioned now in a way where he can be productive again?
Was it a coincidence that he FINALLY looked like the old EK ONCE Burns was moved allowing him to assume the #1 job without trying to fit both on the same PP? Doubt it.
So, while one can want to hedge their bets just to CYA, I have yet to hear an objective reason to decide that Karlsson (who chafed with Burns after his kid died) is the real one and the superstar he was before and after was an illusion.
And Paul Coffey didn’t play much D either.
If people don’t understand that not every D man needs to be Derian Hatcher, I don’t know what to tell you.
Well stated, 66
You forgot more about hockey than I’ll ever learn but your comment here speaks to the human element
Glad I got to see Sid, Gino and Letang here for all these years. I’m the last person to talk about the intricacies of the game but I can’t blame management for keeping the core here, even as they age. One helluva run
I like this poll. Finally something nice the Sabres can actually win
Lol
CBJ
“Is this something you can share with the rest of us, amazing larry?!?”
@KRB—Hopefully he’s not being bamboozled by Babs and the players’ propaganda about how excited they are to play for him.
I think you missed the reference, Mac. My line was a quote from the movie Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, because Amazing Larry is a character in said film. That line was fresh in my mind, because I just watched that movie a couple of nights ago.
@KRB-Sorry about that! It’s not the first time I’ve done it this summer. :( I’ll try to be better next shift, but no guarantees. At least until well after the construction crap going on around me stops. The SOBs were at it at 6:45 AM today. At the same time, I guess I was hoping that our fellow PHR member wasn’t being sucked in.
Bag skate, Mr. Mac, first thing tomorrow morning. Remember you play for the logo on your chest, not the name on your back!
@KRB – Jeez, Coach, I might be in the therapy tub until early afternoon. And, it seems the name on the back has been ruined with asphalt. Hey, at least the street won’t be like a washboard, or have brutally sharp gutter edges to kill tires and wheels. :)
I’d say Sabres. Ottawa could as well, but gonna be hard with that HC and goalies.
Columbus Blue Jackets will surprise the masses this upcoming season!!!!!!!!
Ouch. Bad news for CBJ.
Capitals. They are not SC contenders but they had huge injury problems last year. Plus new coaches all around.
I was just going to write that. Carbery is a winner, Hershey did well under him. Prospect Connor McMichael led Hershey in scoring in the abbreviated COVID season, under Carbery, as well, so look for him to establish himself in the NHL.
Washington Capitals.
Buffalo or Ottawa . if they get goaltending.
Penguins. Nothing more needs to be said.
Gotta go with Buffalo here.
Blues fan so I’d have to say Nashville.