Which Round 2 playoff loser is in trouble next season?
A couple weeks back, we looked at Round 1’s losers in the Stanley Cup playoffs and named the teams we were most optimistic about.
This time, we don our pessimist hats for the Roundtable as we look at the Round 2 losers.
Of the four teams eliminated in Round 2, which one are you most worried about going forward?
MATT LARKIN: I’m not too sure where the Boston Bruins go from here. They have the NHL’s best points percentage over the past decade with no championships to show for it. Because of their sustained success, their farm crop is absolutely barren. That means they have little help coming from within and also few assets to cash out in trades for veteran upgrades. Their lack of high-end offensive talent after David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand was glaring in their Round 2 defeat, and Marchand is in decline at 36. Trading goaltender Linus Ullmark to fill other roster needs can help prop the window open, but the Bruins need multiple pieces if they want to fashion themselves actual Cup contenders next year.
STEVEN ELLIS: I was high on the Carolina Hurricanes bandwagon for a few years now, but all they’ve done is find new ways to lose. They’ve got a good core, but goaltending has been sink or swim too much for my liking and there’s too many free agents to worry about this summer. It’s like the Leafs – how many times do you have to tease the fans before you actually do something meaningful? Dating back to that first conference final run in 2019, it feels like there hasn’t actually been any serious movement to take that next step forward. It’s a big offseason ahead.
SCOTT MAXWELL: I’ll join Matt here with the Boston Bruins. Not only is there not a lot of help on the way to surround the talent on the team, there isn’t a whole lot of talent left. Marchand is 36 and has already seen his performance take a step back. Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle had great seasons, but they saw that play decline in the playoffs. Their goaltending has been terrific, but they might need to move on from Ullmark to get talent elsewhere. Hampus Lindholm regressed this year. Oh, and their No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy was mediocre in the regular season and worse in the playoffs, especially defensively. Unless they get help soon, particularly down the middle, this team is going to be relying heavily on Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman to do well. Then again, the Bruins always seem to prove us wrong every time we call for their demise.
FRANK SERAVALLI: I’m a little concerned about the Vancouver Canucks. On the one hand, they had a magical season – and their core seems to be something really special with Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson and Thatcher Demko. But only Miller escaped from that playoff run without any lingering question. What happened to Pettersson? Why wasn’t Hughes as dominant a force at the blueline? Is Demko injury prone? And that’s just the core. Next up, how can this Canucks team possibly be as good next season as they were this year? That isn’t a production question but a legitimate one about roster construction given their free agents that will require raises. I think they find a way to keep Tyler Myers at a reduced price. But it’s impossible to keep all of Nikita Zadorov, Filip Hronek, Elias Lindholm and Dakota Joshua, to name a few. The most aggressive front office in the NHL did a fantastic job. They’ve built an amazing culture under Rick Tocchet. Let’s see what they do next.
MIKE GOULD: I’m with Frank on this one. The Canucks scare me a little. We’ve seen plenty of upstart teams go on decent runs over the years before bowing out early (or not even making it at all) in the years after, and the Canucks very much fit the bill as a PDO-driven team with significant question marks on the blue line. Sure, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko should all be back to their best for the start of next season, but that doesn’t change how much this team needs a complete overhaul on defense. Plus, as Frank mentioned, they have a pile of pending UFAs who they likely won’t be able to keep. The Pacific is a pretty weak division and I don’t see teams like Calgary, Anaheim, Seattle, and San Jose making a push for a playoff spot anytime soon, but I don’t know how well the Canucks will stack up against the Oilers and Golden Knights next year. This might’ve been their best chance to make some noise with this core group.
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