Joined: Feb. 2019
Posts: 15,935
Likes: 8,572
Florida has it all but can't put it together. They fail to make the playoffs even though they have a promising team.
Just because Buffalo got Hall doesn't mean they're gonna make the playoffs. They lack a top six winger, and a decent bottom six, not to mention a 1RD.
For the metro I don't think Caps will get in on top. They've made some questionable moves.
I think that MTL could make the playoffs, but I'd want a couple more years of retool so that the Eastern Conference in general is weaker. In a couple of years Tampa, Boston, Washington, Pittsburgh, they will all be gone from contention. The top three in each division could be MTL OTT and maybe DET (probs not tho so maybe TOR or FLA), and then CAR NYI and NYR. The wildcards will probs be taken up by PHI and one of TOR/FLA.
So will MTL make the playoffs? Probably not. With a couple more years of retooling? Probably.