As the regular season comes to a close, it is impossible to miss the general strength of the NHL’s Canadian teams as a whole. Five of the seven franchises made the playoffs, while the other two fell just a bit short. Whether or not any of the five playoff teams can end the country’s 32-year Stanley Cup drought remains to be seen, but at least for the opening round of the playoffs there will be a lot of Canadian content.
Let’s take a look at how the season went for each team in the season ending edition of the Canadian Power Rankings.
Bottom of the barrel Vancouver Canucks
Though they did not miss the playoffs by much, it is hard not to feel the disappointment from the Vancouver Canucks season. With drama from the president’s office down to the players, the Canucks have seen their once-impressive centre depth evaporate. Over the years Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller have been shipped off, and the play of Elias Pettersson has fallen off.
The deconstruction is not over yet, either. While there were injuries, it appears that there will be some turnover in the summer ahead. Brock Boeser and Pius Suter are UFAs. Thatcher Demko and Filip Chytil have ominous injury histories. Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek have no-movement clauses that kick in this summer. Coach Rick Tocchet has some uncertainty about his status going forward.
What the Canucks do have is one of the best defencemen in the world in Quinn Hughes, as well as a bevy of strong middle-six wingers. The blueline has gotten a lot stronger throughout the Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin era, with some promise on the horizon as Elias Pettersson (defence, colloquially Junior) Victor Mancini, Kirill Kudryavtsev, and Tom Williander appear poised to reinforce the group in the seasons ahead.
Naturally, a return to form for centre Elias Pettersson is instrumental to improved fortunes. Top forward prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki gives the wings a bit more firepower, though any hopes for more at centre lie with Aatu Raty. The Canucks will need to be shrewd to build the team back up without a more concerted effort to rebuild.
The Calgary Flames almost did it
For outsiders, the Calgary Flames season may have seemed very positive. The team rallied together and outperformed expectations, and many key young players throughout the organization took meaningful steps forward. For some closer observers the season was a disappointment, a lack of direction that will keep the team stranded in mediocrity.
There were certainly a lot of complications as well. Without their own first-round pick on a conditional basis, the Flames chose to focus on the present a bit more than some with a longer term view for the team would have liked. The Flames, as they might be described, are stuck in the middle. Missing the elite talent to truly contend, not bad enough to draft a likely star in the top five.
Instead, the Flames appear to be content walking in both worlds, and to be fair there are other ways to build a champion. Many Stanley Cup winners build around a core of a few top picks, while other teams find another way. It is less common, but the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues stand out as teams who had a more unconventional forging.
For their part, the Flames do seem to have some potential cornerstones to build around. Dustin Wolf might not win the Calder Trophy, but it hardly matters next to the overall progression of his career. Zayne Parekh seems to have authored as strong a post draft season as could have been hoped. Matthew Coronato and Connor Zary should be bright spots for seasons to come. The Flames forward group is younger and more talented, but still lacks a true superstar.
Perhaps another avenue might present itself, either through a trade for a player, a trade up the draft board, or perhaps a trade for draft capital altogether. The Flames have been reluctant to give younger players opportunities, or passed up opportunities to sell off assets this season. Perhaps, if say the team gets off to a poor start next season, that might not always be the case.
For now, GM Craig Conroy has been playing small ball, but the drafting and development teams seem to be doing their parts. Needless to say, winning the right draft lottery would be huge for this team. On the other hand, already with ample space in a rising salary cap trend, the Flames will have to be wise in navigating the opportunities and potential pitfalls before them.
Montreal Canadiens just squeak in
If this power ranking measured excitement or happiness, the Montreal Canadiens would be first. The young team has come into its own over the second half of the season, a combination of resilience, talent, and grit. So much has gone right for the Habs, led by Captain Nick Suzuki, who elevated his game to keep management from selling at the trade deadline.
Canadiens’ President Jeff Gorton and GM Kent Hughes have routinely been bold through their rebuilding process, the fruits of which are obvious. Draft picks like Lane Hutson, and now Ivan Demidov, adorn more and more of this roster, highly likely to provide the Habs with back-to-back Calder Trophies. Juraj Slafkovsky might not be the star of the show, but he is a high end power forward with a growing history of saving his best for big games.
A controversial choice at the time of his hiring, the beloved Martin St. Louis has been a resounding success. All coaches will move on at some point, but St. Louis has proven himself worthy of more jobs in the future. For now, he is the perfect fit for these young Habs, equal parts passion, patient, and knowledgeable.
For a team brimming with prospects to reinforce the young talent in the seasons ahead, this is a culture defining moment for the Habs. Suzuki and his teammates, St. Louis and his coaches, Gorton and Hughes decided to believe in each other. A bold, unison statement to defy the odds.
The collective effort to reach this point is impressive, powerful enough that they should not be overlooked now. The Habs are playing with house money, making them dangerous players. While they might be underdogs, the Canadiens have an aura that could power an upset or two alone. With their high end skill, this team might have everything it needs if Sam Montembeault gets hot.
Ottawa Senators had a turnaround season
While not as surprised as Habs fans, Ottawa Senators fans rejoice in the thrill of playoff hockey just the same. It has taken time, but GM Steve Staios and Coach Travis Green have helped this group to turn the corner. With their most balanced roster in years, and their best team structure of the Brady Tkachuk era, the Sens are primed to be a factor in the playoffs.
The Sens are big, physical, and committed to team defence. No doubt there is some high end skill as well, but there is some poignant imagery that the Senators improvements are so aligned with how Staios and Green were as players.
The road to this point has been longer, but the Senators can drastically rewrite their narrative with an impressive playoff debut. A poor performance could make the road ahead seem much further from the present. Ottawa should expect some internal improvements, but they are not currently overflowing with high end prospects. Although there will be time to grow ahead, the Sens could instill a lot of confidence if they can prove their new identity translates to the playoffs.
How will the Winnipeg Jets fare?
The Winnipeg Jets earned the honour, and perhaps the curse, of winning the Presidents Trophy. Their play has been fantastic in many facets, requisite of their regular season distinction. Connor Hellebuyck has essentially locked up the Vezina Trophy, consideration for the Hart Trophy the more interesting discussion.
Unfortunately, the Jets recent playoff history has been uninspiring. Perhaps this team is deeper than in previous seasons, but it is hard to forget how far away their play was from that of a legitimate contender after sweeping the Oilers in the first round of the short lived North Division. On top of that, missing both Gabe Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers to injury is hardly ideal for a team relying on offensive depth.
Undoubtedly some internal development must be taken into consideration, as Cole Perfetti and Dylan Samberg have continued to expand their influence on the game. How much can their improvement over past seasons be quantified? The Jets regular season cannot be completely overlooked, but chances are the Jets will find themselves underdogs the further they advance through the playoffs.
A first round matchup could be favourable if the Jets face the Minnesota Wild, though the St. Louis Blues might be an enticing upset pick for those filling out playoff brackets. A potential second round matchup against either the Dallas Stars or Colorado Avalanche would see the Jets as underdogs. They will need Hellebuyck to be equally as unbeatable to stand a chance, hoping to allow some of the Jets snipers to capitalize and outscore bigger stars on opposing teams.
Will the Toronto Maple Leafs repeat history?
If we forgot history, the Toronto Maple Leafs might be held in higher esteem. While not the most dominant possession team, the Leafs have a lot of aptitudes in key areas. While Auston Matthews has not been his best, dealing with injuries all season, this Leafs team is more stable than ever. With a solid goaltending duo, a bolstered blueline, and more size throughout the lineup, the Leafs check a lot of more conventional boxes than in years past.
Unfortunately, for the Leafs, history is not forgotten. The Leafs have been heavy favourites in playoff series before, and have routinely found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. While the Leafs usually find a way to keep a series tight, their track record is far from impressive when it comes to winning a series.
Still, there are tangible reasons that things might be different this time around. There are of course less tangible reasons as well, like how Mitch Marner’s game winning assist in the 4 Nations Face-off might springboard more clutch performances, as might his expiring contract.
Funnily enough, it has been the offence that has fallen short for the Leafs in recent playoffs. They will need their depth to contribute, of course, but the top players authoring some undeniable performances would certainly help. Perhaps with a more stable situation in net, upgraded defensive personnel, and a more direct style of play might be enough to change their playoff fate.
The Edmonton Oilers hoping for one more win than last season
Despite Captain Connor McDavid’s comments it is difficult not to see the Edmonton Oilers as the walking wounded. Perhaps a number of key players will be available for the playoffs, but between the lingering effects of injury and any rust from extended absences, lineup synergy will be more challenging.
It has also been a while since the Oilers played to their capabilities as a whole. The team cruised to a playoff spot, much differently than the team fought and clawed to fight back from a dreadful start last season. Most of the team’s most important players have been among the injured down the stretch, but even prior the Oilers were hardly their sharpest throughout the regular season as a whole.
McDavid seems to have been dealing injuries throughout the season, though he and Leon Draisaitl seem likely to be ready for Game 1. McDavid and Draisaitl will continue to be the reason the Oilers have a puncher’s chance in any series, and through it all the duo has consistently elevated in the playoffs.
Mattias Ekholm, the Oilers defensive anchor, will be out for round one, an undeniable blow to their chances. While their team has locked in during playoff runs past, as the penalty kill did last season, it is undeniable that the Oilers have been a much better team when Ekholm is available. Darnell Nurse, Brett Kulak, and Jake Walman are a reasonable left side, at least. The right side is lacklustre beyond Evan Bouchard, the Ekholm injury only serves to highlight that.
In the end the Oilers should still warrant some positivity, but believing that the team can flip the switch does require some imagination or faith. Ceding home ice advantage to the Los Angeles Kings is not ideal, as the Kings have been playing some of their best hockey in relative health since the trade deadline.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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