The top 2022 conference final storylines to watch

And so we reach the narrow edge of the wedge. Four teams each, now eight wins away from Stanley Cup immortality. So close you can almost taste it.

The storylines are as varied as the markets they represent. The City of Champions celebrates the return of its Edmonton Oilers to the conference final for the first time since 2006. Their opponents in Denver have not been to a final four since four years earlier in 2002. The Tampa Bay Lightning have been off since sweeping the Panthers on May 23, awaiting the winner of the home-only series between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, with the Rangers finally breaking the spell on Monday night in Raleigh. Even though the Lightning will start on the road as they did against Toronto and Florida, they will begin as heavy favorites in their bid to become the first team to win at least three Cups in a row since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980 to 1983.

So, what’s on our mind heading into this new set of clashes? Glad you asked.

Kane and Kadri

Yes, the focus will be on Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon in this battle of the superstars in the Western Conference Final (and throw in the superlative Leon Draisaitl and his 26 playoff points for good measure). But with each passing series, each passing game, two polarizing players, Nazem Kadri and Evander Kane, are creating a story whose drama will extend far beyond the end of this series and whoever advances to their first-ever Cup final. Both have baggage of various descriptions and both have answered the bell about whether they can elevate their games and put troubling issues behind them. Both have been instrumental in their respective teams’ success thus far, with Kane leading the NHL with 12 goals and Kadri playing beyond racist taunts and threats to his safety against St. Louis to collect 10 points in 10 games thus far for the Avs. Both are on expiring contracts, and it may be difficult for the Oilers and Avs to lock these players up long-term, which means lots of GMs are watching this drama unfold with an eye to a possible move once free agency opens July 13.

Nazem Kadri

Kadri, a center whose on-ice discipline problems certainly pale compared to Kane’s many off-ice issues, will be looking at a career-changing contract. Could it be in Denver? The Avs have about $26.5 million in cap space and 10 UFAs and two RFAs to deal, with including Kadri, netminder Darcy Kuemper and two deadline acquisitions in Artturi Lehkonen (RFA) and Josh Manson (UFA). Nathan MacKinnon has one more year before free agency. So the short answer is: it’s hard to see how an $8-million Kadri fits, and $8 million per season might not get it done given the strides Kadri has taken this season. I would argue Kadri would be as valuable a free agent commodity as there will be on the open market, with all due respect to Claude Giroux, Kris Letang and even Johnny Gaudreau. In fact, until a late-season injury I would have had Kadri somewhere on my Hart Trophy ballot given his work during an injury-plagued Avalanche regular season. Would Kadri be a fit in Detroit ,where Steve Yzerman is looking for a coach and potentially a couple of core players to pull this team around the corner? Philadelphia needs all kinds of help everywhere. What about Carolina, which has built a Cup contender but needs a piece or two to get over the hump? Kadri would fit Rod Brind’Amour’s style of play to a ‘T.’

Evander Kane

Kane is a little harder to handicap. San Jose acquired Kane after he (again) wore out his welcome in Buffalo and then gave him an extension that they later nullified after all kinds of internal and external turmoil including bankruptcy brought on by a gambling habit. The Oilers were desperate and so took a chance on the power forward, and he has more than repaid them for their belief he could fit in. Kane is a winger, so his value on the market is not as great as Kadri’s but he plays with the kind of snarl, and possesses elite offensive skills that we have seen mesh perfectly with Connor McDavid, that will make him a powerful draw come free agency. Will a team ignore the past and tempt Kane with dollar and term? That seems to be the big question, and the longer the Oilers keep playing, the more likely the list of suitors pursuing Kane will grow and grow.

Speaking of job openings…

It probably doesn’t matter to Jay Woodcroft all that much that he’s still the interim head coach in Edmonton in spite of the masterful job he’s done in guiding this team from the brink of chaos to eight wins away from a Stanley Cup. But with at least a half-dozen coaching openings (Philadelphia, Winnipeg, Chicago, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and possibly Florida, although doubtful) is it possible Woodcroft’s phone is ringing off the hook with offers that could see the Oilers out in the cold when this season finally ends? Who doesn’t want to coach McDavid, Draisaitl et al and, especially if the Oilers find their way to a final and even a Cup win, it’s hard to imagine Woodcroft doesn’t get locked up long-term. And maybe there’s a contract with his name on it in GM Ken Holland’s desk right now. But it is interesting that the Oilers opted to wait on an extension and soon, if not now, Woodcroft will be holding a lot of leverage on what his next career move is and where that career will take him.

Rust versus rest

Yes, it’s a bit of a tired refrain, but when you’ve been out of playoff mode from May 23 to June 1, that’s not nothing, and while the Lightning have been adept at overcoming every obstacle large (the absence of Brayden Point) to small (having to play back-to-back in Games 3 and 4 against Florida), it will be yet another part of the equation when the Lightning travel to Madison Square Garden for Wednesday’s Eastern Conference final opener. It behooves the New York Rangers to take advantage of a Lightning team that had a surprisingly easy time with the Presidents’ Trophy winning Panthers, sweeping them in the second round. Not that it really matters to the Bolts where they play, as they are 4-2 away from Amalie Arena this playoff year, including three straight road wins starting with Game 7 in Toronto and then Games 1 and 2 against Florida. But the Rangers weren’t overly taxed in blowing out Carolina in Game 7 6-2, and opening at home should give them some extra juice to kick things off against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs.

Igor Shesterkin versus Andrei Vasilevskiy

The interesting part of this clash between the presumptive Vezina Trophy winner this season, Shesterkin, and the presumptive best goalie in the world, Vasilevskiy, is that both endured early playoff hiccups to get to their grooves. Shesterkin was pulled in Games 3 and 4 against Pittsburgh in the first round but has been otherworldly since, rolling up a 7-3 record, allowing 21 goals over that period and never once giving up more than three in any game. Vasilevskiy was almost human early against Toronto but allowed just three goals against the high-octane Panthers. Will one of them crack now? Doubtful. That means we’re in for one of the great playoff goaltending duels we’ve seen in a long time.

Experience? Bah, Humbug

One of the more interesting story arcs of this playoff season has been the evolution of the Rangers’ kids. Fair to say the group that includes the tough-as-nails Ryan Lindgren and K’Andre Miller on the back end and Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko up front (the so-called Kid Line who have combined for eight goals and eight assists in the playoffs including two game-winners from Chytil) have learned a lifetime in just two playoff rounds this spring, going down 3-1 to Pittsburgh and 2-0 to Carolina. Head coach Gerard Gallant has some times split the kids up, but that’s more often than not to give a jump-start to more veteran forwards. In a series against Tampa where depth will be key, it might be these unheralded youngsters that give the underdog Rangers more than a fighting chance. Of particular interest to us has been Lafreniere with whom we spent some time leading up to his draft and then leading up to his first Ranger camp after he was selected first overall in 2020. The big winger took some time to find a groove at the NHL level, and there was actually some chatter about whether the Rangers should package Lafreniere or Kakko in a deal for J.T. Miller leading up to the trade deadline. Instead Lafreniere has started to grow into his game and seems to be growing daily during this playoff run.

Deadline Dividends

Okay, so the Claude Giroux experiment didn’t work out the way the Florida Panthers planned (although the long-time Flyer captain still ended up with eight points in 10 playoff games). But I can’t remember a season when as many trade deadline adds have made such sparkling contributions to their respective playoff teams. Start with the Rangers and Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano and Tyler Motte have all at times proved to be critical pieces in the Rangers’ march to the final four. Justin Braun has been steady on the back end, too. Brett Kulak in Edmonton has solidified the Oilers’ third defensive pair, while Artturi Lehkonen and Josh Manson have made the already imposing Avalanche even more difficult to play against. For us, though, it’s been watching Nick Paul embrace critical moments for Tampa after coming over from Ottawa. Folks might have imagined it would be Brandon Hagel who would make the biggest impact but it’s been Paul, especially with Point’s absence for all of the second round, who has proven yet again that Tampa GM Julien BriseBois might be the sharpest mind in the game.

Ville Husso value?

There are going to be lots of teams trying to contemplate their goaltending futures this off-season, including and in no particular order: Toronto, Detroit, Edmonton, and on down the list. For a long time this season it looked like St. Louis would have a goaltending conundrum on its hands with Ville Husso, a pending UFA, taking over the starting role for 2019 Stanley Cup hero Jordan Binnington. But that narrative got turned on its ear when Husso was yanked early in the first round against Minnesota and Binnington played lights out until he was injured early in Game 3 against Colorado. Husso was back between the pipes and was average at best as the Blues bowed out in six games to Colorado. Husso’s playoff letdown will cost him potentially millions on the open market and it will be interesting to see if he re-ups with the Blues at a small number and a shorter term or if one of those aforementioned teams takes a chance that he could replicate his regular season heroics (he finished with a 2.56 GAA and .919 save percentage in 40 appearances) and grow into a franchise netminder.

Canes Collapse

Full disclosure as always, but I periodically provide content for the Carolina Hurricanes and so have spent quite a bit of time around the team this season. After a regular season that saw all kinds of reason for playoff optimism, the Hurricanes’ playoff run ends again in the second round, and this off-season brings lots of difficult questions. After winning the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals, Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta both ended up on the sidelines for the final moments of the season with rookie Pyotr Kochetkov filling in for Raanta, who was injured in Game 7 while Andersen never played a minute in the playoffs with a lower-body injury. It’s the second season in a row Andersen has been unable to play in the post-season. Both netminders are under contract for one more year but it’s clear the goaltending was not where it needed to be at the most critical juncture of the season. The Hurricanes are a cap team and they have become something of a destination market with the lifestyle and the presence of Brind’Amour behind the bench. Easy to imagine that UFAs Vincent Trocheck, Nino Niederreiter, Ian Cole, Derek Stepan and Max Domi will all be moving on, so there will be some cap money to spend and some areas to address including a seasoned center who can elevate his game during the playoffs (see Kadri) and a lack of clutch scoring after coming up with just 13 goals in seven games against the Rangers. For us the big question is what becomes of Tony DeAngelo, whom the Canes signed to a one-year bargain deal of $1 million after he was jettisoned by the Rangers. The 26-year-old was a good citizen in Carolina and reaffirmed he’s an elite offensive talent. He seemed to be overwhelmed by playing his old team in the second round but, as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, he’s going to be due a big raise. Can the Hurricanes keep him at a price and term that make sense or has he priced himself into a new home?

Farewell Jason Spezza (But not so long)

I remember a long, long time ago traveling to Windsor to do a story on a kid named Jason Spezza who was the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft. Turned out Ilya Kovalchuk would go first, but Spezza and I spent an enjoyable (okay, maybe it was more enjoyable for me) time sitting in the old Windsor Arena talking about his family and the pressure of being a top prospect and all kinds of hockey stuff. Even then, Spezza was thoughtful and open to letting the conversation go where it went. Over the years we crossed paths many times including an entire season I spent in Dallas with the Stars when Spezza was nearing the end of his time there. That he has decided to call it a career and in the same breath announce that he’ll join Toronto’s front office as an advisor to GM Kyle Dubas is not surprising. Spezza’s mind has always been the kind that folks assumed would translate seamlessly to post-hockey life in some meaningful role. So good on the big center for going out on his terms and for finding a way to stay in the game, which is richer for his involvement.

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