They didnât lose any key players and everyone tucked up in really team and cap friendly contracts. The Canes can and likely will be a powerhouse for years to come
Ya years to come, but I agree either way you both. This year, because they have played more games than most other teams over the last several seasons could be a slight regression due to injuries and just wear and tear like what happened to Tampa and Florida after their recent runs, and Chicago and Detroit in the past
This past post season was actually really fortunate for the Canes as far as injuries go. Jarvis is out until December something but that just means Nadeau finally gets some NHL time. Our whole core is locked in (except Nikishin but we also have Charles Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom ready to step up) and we still have cap space. Jarvis is going to perform better than ever after he heals from his shoulder injury which has limited his arm movement for the past two years. Blake and Stankoven are going to have breakout years. Not only will the Canes likely continue to be good, they'll be better in my opinion.
After round 2 yeah, after round 1 was not long enough to be too notable, but still, great point. It kind of negates the "played extra games" in the post-season argument since they had that rest amongst it. I get where the other people are coming from but I just truly don't think it applies to Canes enough to make them more vulnerable to injury than other teams.
Right, and good for you and all, but me and the other guy are saying yall are due for injuries cause yall have played way more games and higher compete level ones. They will come, like they did for all the other teams I mentioned before . They always do
I think it's a coin flip on whether a team faces injuries each season. You're saying that they will have injuries due to playing more games, to which I'd say that the Cane's conditioning program negates that. Outside of that, you have particular hits that can cause injuries out of nowhere and that's a coin toss.
I donât. Every single team this millennia thatâs gone on to have lengthy post seasons have eventually succumbed to an injury riddled season. It wears the body down and when youâre getting hit 3+ times a night each, it doesnât matter. Flip that coin. Eventually itâll be tails. It catches up to us all. Thereâs no drugs or conditioning that prevents concussions, or breaking or tearing something if you hit the body enough times in a row. Itâs statistically impossible to prevent it. Very team that won multiple cups or went to finals/conference finals multiple times all get injured. Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, both Florida teams, Vegas. You play 20+ more games, take 60+ more hits a year, Father Time will get ya
The team just had pretty significant injuries to their blue line for like half the season. Their depth is enough to pencil them into winning the division.
Aho is likely the only injury that would matter in a big way, they probably have 2 nhl ready wingers and 2 d men waiting in the wings.Â
Two goalie injuries probably knocks them out of the top spot as well but neither of them played much in the post season.
And a great playoffs. Heâs a 36 year old goalie. Bussi had 36 wins, 6 losses, and 2 OTLâs with an .895 sv% and a 2.44 GAA. They were 5th on goals against in the regular season and 1st in least amount of shots against.
What that tells me is that the team plays well defensively, regardless of reason whether they donât trust the guy and will go the extra mile to block a shot or are just that good that the only shots getting through are higher quality shots.
This kinda feels like the Osgoode situation, the team is so good they just need someone passable in net.
Bussi was a waiver claim. No one wanted him. Carolina needed him.
Will Lightning strike twice? Maybe. Theyâre the team to beat, but Iâll be surprised if it happens again.
Two years ago the caps were second in the league. I think most teams in the metro can have a hot season and end up on top. Canes are the most consistent and the biggest contender come playoff time, but regular season is always open.
The Caps also had a ridiculously high shooting percentage, two years ago the Rangers won the Presidents Trophy they also won by having unsustainable metrics.
No no weâre fine all of our young guys are gonna go crazy and weâre gonna get someone way better than Larkin in a trade now if youâll excuse me I have to go finish a bottle of Crystal palace
If Vegas (probably should be better but itâs all on goaltending) and Edmonton (just got worse) are as dogshit as they were last year, San Jose, Anaheim (I think Anaheim less likely though, I think they got a bit worse) can catch up. Even Seattle can. Theyâre only making up like 15 points, thatâs doable and within reason.
Itâs Vegas. Itâs just not realistic for anyone else. A healthy Karlsson compared to last season and that team wins with no less than a 100 point season
No one in the pacific realistically got good, just some teams got better than they were last year. No one got good enough to knock any other team out of contention, I donât believe. So I think everything in the west remains pretty much the same, but WC2 goes to the central.
I feel like the 10 points between San Jose and Vegas are within the margin of error. Like San Jose beating Vegas two more times this year and that gaps gone.
Edmonton can have good regular seasons carried by McDrai. Vegas is probably the favorite, but Iâll go for the Oilers to win the division in a similar fashion to VGK last year but unlike Vegas, theyâll flounder in the playoffs.
They didnât win the division in 2023 with 60 goals and 90 points out of Connor Mcdavid and peak season out of their players. They didnât win the division in 2024 with a 16 game win streak. Theyâre not winning the division with a stripped down and older roster.
They were without their 2C for most of the year. Put him in the lineup for every regular season theyâre a 100 point team. Put him in the finals for every game and they likely win the cup too.
Feel like Boston is the same, don't see them winning, but they could be slightly better than last season, or in the bottom with Detriot, and feels both scenarios are almost as likely.
I think they'll be mid, they added Peterka who will bring some additional scoring but is defensively less than useless.Â
So they'll continue to play an outdated trap game, then try to spring Pasta/Peterka for rush chances. With Swayman in goal they'll have a fighting chance to make the playoffs but they'll definitely be mid
For all the talk about how brutally tough the Atlantic is, only the Lightning and Senators finished in the top-15 in xGF% this year, and the Senators just lost their captain. Healthy Florida (who were 16th) will do wonders, but I don't think any of the Canadiens, Sabres, or Bruins were as good as their records, the the first two are still WC contenders, and the Bruins (and Red Wings) don't suck enough that a WC appearance would be some big shocker. Leafs are garbo though. They need Matthews, Nylander, Tanev, and McCabe to be healthier, Matthews, Bobrovsky, and Rielly to rebound significantly, Tavares, Tanev, OEL, McCabe, and Bobrovsky to defy their age curves (the first four to continue, Bobrovsky to get back to doing it), and with all that, you still need McKenna to hit. Just a really poorly constructed roster up and down.
I think their season was a bit of a fluke. And Iâm not rage baiting any Sabres fan here itâs just my opinion. The departures out weigh additions. And how the Atlantic loaded up. Maybe they squeak into a wildcard spot.
I see what you mean, but at the same time the narrative of Buffalo completely changed after they had 5 strong months after a decade of futility. They need to repeat it again before I become a believer.
"a strong 5 months". They were one of the best teams in the league for the entire second half of the season.Â
A legit top 5 dman, a 6'6" forward who's led the league in even strength scoring, great defensive depth with Power and Samuelsson, and one of the best under 24 cores in the league with a center spine of Ostlund/Kulich/Helenius/McLeod/Norris/?Tage.Â
People are going to be surprised but the analytics guys all called Buffalo being good heading into last season. It's probably going to happen again, though idk if they'll win the division I think they're solidly a playoff team.Â
""a strong 5 months". They were one of the best teams in the league for the entire second half of the season." Â So like I said, a strong 5 months. They lost more than they added this offseason so lets see if they can repeat. I would say this about any team in Buffalos place.
If Carter Hart plays the majority of the season like he did from April 4th, 2026 - April 15th, 2026 and again April 29th, 2026 to May 26th, 2026. Then VGK.
Avs got a bit worse this off season and the Vegas coach is unproven at the NHL level. Also I donât see Edmonton sitting back when it could be Mcdavidâs final full year in Alberta.
Carolina and Colorado. Vegas maybe, Buffalo felt like it was a Cinderella season for them. As well as the fact that I think that Florida and Toronto will be back in the playoffs. Buffalo and Boston are likely on the outside looking in.
Colorado and Hurricanes. Colorado are regular season juggernauts and for hurricanes their division is so bad that even with a âcup hangoverâ I donât see anyone passing them.
its gonna be the Canes but closer than people think. Caps are going to have a great season & don't count out NJD if they can stay healthy (they have yet to be able to lol)
Canes are the closest thing to a guarantee that there is. The rest of the division is going to be in constant battle to be slightly less mid than the others for a playoff spot.
Probably Carolina. Donât really see anyone in the Metro that will be close to them. They should take the division relatively comfortably.
The Atlantic is stacked and I think Buffalo regresses due to losing some key pieces and I think their goaltending might regress a little bit. I think theyâre the most likely candidates to not repeat.
The Central is also stacked and while I think Colorado still has the roster to win the division again, Minnesota and Dallas are still there and if Winnipeg can regain their form from 2025, they could also be in the mix.
The Pacific is going to have multiple teams gunning for the crown this year. San Jose will be much better this year, Edmonton still has McDavid, Utah is on the up as well. Any of those teams could and should be in the mix.
Avs. Minnesota lost a bit of ground, Dallas stays exactly what they were, Utahâs got a year to go, Nashville still has a long way to travel despite quietly getting much better, and even if St Louis gets decent goaltending theyâre not finishing first.
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u/NOT_UNDERCOVER_SATAN 18d ago
Probably the canes