As the season winds down and the number of available playoff spots dwindles, the bubble teams get very interesting. These are the groups that often still have expectations of winning, so a playoff miss could signal a major organizational shift.
Of the teams still in the hunt or at least on the fringe of the playoff race, which franchise do you expect to blow it up? Ignore the rebuilders; they’ve already blown it up.
MATT LARKIN: You can just feel the heat on the Winnipeg Jets with every thinly veiled postgame comment from coach Rick Bowness. This core group has not accomplished much of anything since reaching the 2018 Western Conference Final. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and center Mark Scheifele enter the final seasons of their contacts in 2023-24, while Pierre-Luc Dubois’ desire to leave town is one of hockey’s worst-kept secrets. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff patched over the problem with the Bowness hire and gave the Jets a year to run it back, but I think big changes are coming — definitely if the Jets miss the playoffs but perhaps even if they get knocked out in Round 1.
NICK ALBERGA: You can probably take your pick between Winnipeg and Calgary, but I’ll go with the Calgary Flames. Entering the season, they were on many short lists to potentially win the Stanley Cup. Seven months later, they’re on life support just to get into the party. Translation: Either the bouncer really dislikes them or something’s amiss there. When expectations are set that high for a team, seldom do they escape without considerable repercussions for missing the mark. Personally, I think the easy decision here is to gas Darryl Sutter. Having said that, didn’t he just win a Jack Adams last season? In general, I expect it to be a busy offseason for the Flames. They need a goalie, right? Should they sell high on Tyler Toffoli? Could Noah Hanifin, who’s one year away from UFA status, be on the way out? Too many questions.
MIKE MCKENNA: Trying to predict what New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello will do is next to impossible. But I have a sneaking suspicion big changes are coming on Long Island, especially if Lamoriello’s team misses the Stanley Cup playoffs for a second consecutive season. I love the swing he took to acquire Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks. And there’s a lot character within the walls of UBS Arena. But for me, the Islanders have too many good players on mid-level contracts. And most of them are locked in through at least the 2023-24 season. Ask yourself this: Do you think the Islanders can win the Stanley Cup with their current roster? I say no chance. And that’s with Ilya Sorokin — arguably the NHL’s best netminder — stealing games on a regular basis. Lamoriello would never tear it down. But he has blown up teams in the past via trade. And I think that’s the end game on Long Island.
STEVEN ELLIS: The Nashville Predators once again are trying to limp their way into the playoffs. Last year, we saw what outstanding goaltending could do for a team, only for Juuse Saros to get injured and sit out the first round against Colorado. If they’re making it this year, it’ll be by the skin of their teeth. They’ve dealt with some significant injuries that have taken some things out of control, but it still feels like a cobbled-together lineup ever since that Stanley Cup run all those years ago. They’ve got some good young players they can start to build a future around, such as Phil Tomasino, Luke Evangelista, Joakim Kemell and, eventually, Yaroslav Askarov. Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen still have unmoveable deals, but with two first-round picks, and a new GM in Barry Trotz, it’s time for Nashville’s first true rebuild.
