NHL: Setting up the best Stanley Cup Playoffs
By Rohan Yaradi
Eastern Conference:
(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (WC2) Montreal Canadiens
(A2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (A3) Boston Bruins
(M1) Washington Capitals vs. (WC1) New York Islanders
(M2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (M3) Columbus Blue Jackets
The only deviation from the current NHL standings is that the Montreal Canadiens retake the second wild-card spot from the Buffalo Sabres. This is because I believe that the Habs would have a more interesting matchup with Tampa Bay than the Sabres would.
For one, those two teams have a playoff history, having met three times in the postseason before. Throw in a great goalie battle between Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy and despite the one-sided talent disparity, this should be a fun series.
Toronto and Boston would obviously be a blast based on the recent history between the two teams, and Pittsburgh is as close as Columbus has to a major rivalry given the proximity of the two cities, as well as their previous postseason meetings.
For the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders, not only is there an extensive playoff history (the Easter Epic, Dale Hunter, etc.) but this would also see Barry Trotz leading a new team against the franchise with whom he won the Stanley Cup. The storylines write themselves.
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Western Conference:
(C1) Winnipeg Jets vs. (WC1) Minnesota Wild
(C2) Nashville Predators vs. (C3) Dallas Stars
(P1) Calgary Flames vs. (WC2) Edmonton Oilers
(P2) San Jose Sharks vs. (P3) Vegas Golden Knights
As with the Eastern Conference, I have made one change to the current NHL standings in the West, replacing the Colorado Avalanche with the Edmonton Oilers. While I do not believe this to be a likely scenario, it is still well within the realm of possibility.
With Nashville and Winnipeg, in the absence of rivalry I have opted to substitute geography. Winnipeg and St. Paul are just a day trip away from each other, and Nashville and Dallas a bit more apart, meaning it is possible that visiting teams could elevate the atmosphere in both cases.
In the Pacific, the only reason I have made the unlikely substitution of Edmonton for Colorado is to have the great Battle of Alberta in the first round. Calgary and Edmonton would be a lopsided series, but the hatred associated with the rivalry would make it worth it.
San Jose and Vegas had a great series last season, and the hatred between the two teams and fanbases seems to have carried over into this season. A burgeoning rivalry would be helped along its way with another meeting between these two.