In the words of Peter Laviolette, “well that happened.” The 2023-24 NHL season has drawn to a close and to say it was a wild ride would be an understatement. We saw teams go on long winning streaks and long losing streaks, coaches get fired, absurd offensive numbers, relocation and much more. Perhaps the best part is that all this has happened before the playoffs began, which means we’re hopefully in for a great postseason. In this final regular season edition of Around the Rink, we’ll run through the final clinches, a team on the move, hand out some awards and predict the playoffs. We have a TON to get to so Let’s dive in!
Headlines
A Wild Ride to the Finish: Some NHL seasons finish without much drama, but the 2024 campaign was certainly not one of them. The intrigue began Monday night when the Red Wings were playing for their playoff lives down by two in the third period and were in a need of a miracle to save their season. Cue Lucas Raymond, who stepped up to tie the game in the third period before icing it in overtime.
Detroit’s comeback win was enough to push the drama to the next night as the Wings would play the second of their home and home with the Canadiens. The scenario was rather convoluted as four teams (Caps, Wings, Flyers, and Pens) all entered Tuesday night alive for the last Eastern playoff spot. Washington would visit Philly while the Red Wings were in action north of the border and the Penguins looked on from the couch. Detroit would have to scoreboard watch and hope the Capitals would lose to the Flyers in regulation (for Philly’s sake), as they would clinch under that scenario. If Washington won, the spot was theirs and they would head for New York. The drama ratcheted up in the first period as Philly had a goal ruled out due to an absurdly bad missed call by head ref Kelly Sutherland.
With the goal off the board and the Caps leading the game while the Detroit trailed in the Quebec capital, it seemed Washington might coast to the playoffs. But all of a sudden the Red Wings roared to life and the Flyers pulled even, now it was all hanging in the balance. As mentioned earlier, the Flyers had to win in regulation to stay alive, so with the game tied at 1-1 late in the third you could see the wheels turning on the Flyers bench with the Red Wings behind 4-3. After a careless Montreal icing, the Red Wings pulled another rabbit out of their hat to force OT.
Perron’s goal to force OT eliminated the Flyers and gave the Wings life…problem is the Flyers didn’t know they were out yet and pulled the goalie, which lead to the Caps scoring on the empty net. Washington would hang on from there and clinch their playoff spot despite Detroit’s incredible rallies.
With the Caps clinching their spot, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Philly were all eliminated. This whole sequence of events will go down as some of the most entertaining moments in recent hockey history. I feel for each of these teams that came so close…but they probably should have played better in the run up to the playoffs instead of trying to save themselves at the last minute.
The Voice of the Gaaaaaden: Retiring broadcasters seems to be a theme on this site of late and this week’s blog is no exception as Jack Edwards, the voice of Bruins hockey on NESEN, is retiring when the playoffs are finished. The 67-year-old has been in broadcasting since the 1980’s when he began working as a radio host in the Boston area before eventually becoming a SportsCenter anchor in 1991. After working at the “Worldwide Leader” through the end 2005, Edwards returned to Beantown as the voice of the Boston Bruins on NESN. During his time with the B’s, Edwards has mostly worked alongside former Bruin and Massachusetts native Andy Brickley. Together Jack and “Bricks” never made their allegiances a secret as they stood by their beloved Bruins and showed their homer colors on air. Edwards was no stranger to controversy either, as he had spats with players over his on-air comments, most notably Pat Maroon who oddly enough landed with Boston at this year’s trade deadline. Love him or hate him, Edwards clearly holds a special place in the hearts of New Englanders and Bruins fans everywhere. His passion for the sport and his team should be celebrated and his unique style leaving the game will certainly make things more boring. Enjoy retirement Jack!
Sabres Search: It’s the end of the regular season, that means it’s time for the Buffalo Sabres to assess the damage and fire another coach. This time it’s Don Granato’s head on the chopping block as he was relieved of his duties after the team’s final game. Granato did a fine job the last few seasons bringing the club back to life, but unfortunately this season was a disappointment after there were preseason hopes of a return to the playoffs. The next bench boss will be tasked with ending a 13 year playoff drought, which will be no easy task in a loaded Eastern Conference despite the team’s talent. Keep an eye on Rangers assistant coach and former Sabres captain Michael Peca to be a front runner for job as it would certainly, please the fan base to see number 27 come home. If they go the veteran coach route, Craig Berube may be a lock here.
Hope You Like Utah: That’s at least what management has said to Coyotes players and staff, after it was announced that the team would be leaving Arizona. The NHL’s long running dessert experiment has come to a close…for now (more on that later) as Ryan Smith has purchased the Yotes and will bring them to Salt Lake City Utah. While I can’t speak for the market itself, there is reported interest in hockey and the city is looking to add a team after supporting the Jazz for years. We’ll see how the players react to this move as there is talk that the union is less than pleased, but it remains to be seen. The real story here is that former owner Alex Meruelo will be keeping the rights to the Coyotes branding and will have the opportunity to expand back to Arizona should a new arena be completed. An idea that offends the mind considering the borderline illicit activities that have taken place in the front office and the owner’s unwillingness to pay something as simple as a hotel bill. I am not sure the market can truly sustain a team, but I feel for the fans, the employees, and broadcast team who documented the last night in Arizona and will now be out of a job. All these people who placed their faith in ownership group that was never interested in serving them to begin with…a sickening ending to this chapter in league history.
Awards
Now that we’ve done the news, it’s time to hand out some awards. There is a tongue in cheek element to this so let’s have some fun, after all some of these teams and moments were comedic…and not always in a good way.
Biggest Surprise Team: Congrats to the Nashville Predators on winning the award for biggest surprise team. It felt preseason like there would be a lengthy rebuild on the cards in Smashville, but the team pulled together in the second half and it was enough to make the playoffs. Their 16-0-2 second half run was keyed by strong goaltending, a deep and talented defense core and veteran forward group. Andrew Brunette and Barry Trotz deserve lots of credit for the work they have done on the bench and in the front office this year, as the group is set to return to the playoffs. They should be a handful for whoever they face in round one. Collect your prize on the way off the stage, good news, it’s those U2 tickets Trotz took away from you guys!
Biggest Disappointment: Congrats to the New Jersey Devils on winning this dubious honor. Expectations were sky high for this group in the preseason, but almost from the get-go, nothing went right. A key injury to Dougie Hamilton started the downfall and from there things spiraled out of control. Goaltending and team defense were major issues and it wound up being too much to overcome. Lindy Ruff was dismissed late in the year, and interim coach Travis Green didn’t do much better. The Devils will be coach and goalie shopping this summer, so they don’t waste another year of this talented core. Collect your prize of free tee times at Upper Montclair Country Club boys…unfortunately for Jack Hughes, no one is paying to watch him play golf either.
Best Tank: The award for best Tank goes to the San Jose Sharks, who greased the treads in the offseason and succeeded. Simply put, this Sharks team was one of the worst NHL squads in a long time. With just 47 points on the season, a -146 goal differential, and a record of 19-54-9, it’s hard to believe a team could be this bad. GM Mike Grier sold off more pieces at the deadline, most notably star player and fan favorite Tomas Hertl, who landed with the rival Knights. Anthony Duclair also departed for Tampa leaving Mikael Granlund as the team’s leading scorer. Goaltending wasn’t much better and there were very few bright spots overall. It feels like David Quinn will be joining Don Granato on the job hunt. There is hopefully good news though Sharks fans…you should end up with Macklin Celebrini when the dust settles.
Torts Presser of the Year: Now it’s time for one of my favorite awards, one that I’ll continue to hand out as reporters join the long list of victims of John Tortorella. We give the award to the member of the Flyers beat (who shall remain nameless) who lied about Kevin Hayes in the midst of the Cutter Gauthier saga. The story of course goes that the reporter heard that former Flyer and current Blues forward Kevin Hayes convinced top prospect Cutter Gauthier to push for a trade out of Philly. When the eventual trade to Anaheim went through and Gauthier was gone, the reporter chose clicks over the truth and spread some rather hurtful lies about Hayes. Tortorella took over from there. Congrats the reporter, and the welcome to the club.
Goal of the Year: In a year of mostly “lowlights” for the Flames, Nazem Kadri gave us this gem as he went through the entire Penguins team and dangled Tristan Jarry. This one is certainly hard to top.
Save of the Year: Our save of the year goes to Joonas Korpisalo for not one but two brilliant saves against the Oilers! Check out the athleticism from Number 70, a highlight in what was an otherwise forgettable season in the Canadian capital.
Fight of the Year: Our bout of the year goes to Matt Rempe and Nick Deslauriers. As Rempe made a name for himself he drew plenty of challengers from across the league. While Matt Martin and Kurtis McDermaid were formidable foes, the Flyers Nick Deslauriers was a different breed. The two went toe to toe on a Saturday afternoon in Philly and it was an all timer. Enjoy the clip above, and our two combatants can collect their free ice pack prize on the way out.
Game of the Year (so far): Call it east coast bias, but in my opinion no other game from this regular season could come close to matching the Stadium Series between the Islanders and Rangers. I was lucky enough to be there in person and it was nothing short of incredible from start to finish. From tailgating in the frigid cold, to a wild first period fight, and eleven total goals culminating in an epic comeback…it really had it all. Check out the highlights above and the two teams can collect their free Jets and Giants tickets at the door, I hear they give those away for nothing these days.
Playoff Preview
With our awards in the can, let’s move onto our playoff preview. I’ll start by reviewing my preseason predictions, which were more than a bit off the mark. While I have most of the playoff field in the east intact, I missed big time on the Islanders and Bruins, who both qualify for the field. I guess that’s what I get for having a bit too much stock in the Senators and Sabres this year and every year for that matter. Out west I missed on the Kraken, Blues and Wild, all of whom missed out on the playoffs and saw a number of teams surge past them in the standings. The Canucks and Jets proved to be surprises in the playoff field, especially in Vancouver’s case as they finish near the top of the league standings. Can’t get them all right I guess, let’s move onto my playoff picks for the upcoming postseason with a series by series preview.
| Central | Pacific | Atlantic | Metro |
| Avalanche | Golden Knights | Leafs | Devils |
| Stars | Kings | Panthers | Rangers |
| Wild | Oilers | Sabres | Hurricanes |
| Blues | Kraken | Lightning | Penguins |
| Jets | Canucks | Senators | Blue Jackets |
| Predators | Flames | Bruins | Islanders |
| Coyotes | Ducks | Red Wings | Capitals |
| Blackhawks | Sharks | Canadiens | Flyers |
Eastern Conference
Washington Capitals (WC2) vs New York Rangers (1)
Capitals: The Capitals arrive in this series following a resilient regular season where they proved the doubters wrong under first year head coach Spencer Carbery. They come into the postseason after surviving a crazy wild card race in the east, so they have been playing playoff games for several weeks now. Their x-factor will be Charlie Lindgren, brother of Rangers D-man Ryan Lindgren, who has done what he can in net to mitigate the Caps struggling defense…despite their -37-goal differential this season.
Rangers: The Rangers on the other hand enter the playoffs firing on all cylinders, having won the Presidents trophy after having one of their most successful seasons in team history. They played the second half at a blistering pace and are seemingly playing their best hockey of the season going into the playoffs. Their x-factor this postseason is centerman Mika Zibanejad, who is looking for a more consistent playoff run after a hit and miss regular season. It feels like the Rangers are well set up to exploit the Caps flaws in this one as the playoffs get going.
Prediction: Rangers in 5
New York Islanders (3) vs Carolina Hurricanes (2)
Islanders: The Islanders enter the playoffs after a late season rally to claim the third spot in the Metro. Following a coaching change from Lane Lambert to Patrick Roy, the Isles pulled it together, mostly thanks to the leadership of Bo Horvat, Noah Dobson, Kyle Palmieri, Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal. While those core players need to do their part, their x-factor is Semyon Varlamov who outplayed Ilya Sorokin this season, especially down the stretch. No matter which goalie starts, they will have to play well for this team to have a shot at the upset.
Hurricanes: On the other side of this series is the Hurricanes, who have put together yet another brilliant season under coach Rod Brind’Amour. The Canes are led by Sebastian Aho and a breakout offensive season for winger Seth Jarvis, while their solid d-core aids a rotation of goalies led by the tandem of Freddy Andersen and Pytor Kochetkov. Their x-factor this postseason is winger Jake Guentzel, who came over from the Penguins at the trade deadline and has thrived since joining the squad. While the Isles have the potential to be pesky in this series, it feels like the Canes just have too much firepower for them.
Prediction: Hurricanes in 6
Tampa Bay Lightning (WC1) vs Florida Panthers (1)
Lightning: As we switch gears to the Atlantic side of the bracket where rivalries are the theme of the first round, it’s time to preview the Lighting and Panthers. Tampa Bay comes into the playoffs in what may be the final year of their old core being intact. They remain a force to be reckon with as Nikita Kucherov has had an all-time great season while Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point have both scored 40 plus goals. Their x-factor is goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy who is coming off arguably his worst season in the league with .900 Save %. If Vasi can get hot then this team has a shot at an upset, but it will be up to him to find his game.
Panthers: The other side of the Battle of Florida is of course the Panthers who come into the playoffs looking to repeat as conference champions. Their win on the last night of the season set up this matchup with the Bolts, one that many argued they should have avoided. In my opinion this is right in the Panthers wheelhouse as they love a series where their antagonistic style can be maximized. The Cats have what is arguably the most complete lineup in the postseason field, especially after acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko at the deadline. While they have a plethora of great players, I feel Sam Reinhart is their x-factor as they will need him to repeat his offensive success from the regular season. This series feels pretty even in some departments, but ultimately, I think the Panthers out last Tampa in a long series.
Prediction: Panthers in 7
Toronto Maple Leafs (3) vs Boston Bruins (2)
Maple Leafs: Somehow, after being slated to play everyone but Boston all year, the Leafs are set to battle their archnemesis in the first round. They have failed to beat the Bruins over three previous attempts in the last 11 years and will have their work cut out for them once again. Toronto was carried by their usual score of high-powered forwards, particularly Auston Matthews who had one of the best goal scoring seasons in NHL history. Their x-factor is in goal, the question is, who will it be? Whether its Joseph Woll or Ilya Samsonov, the Leafs will need their goaltending to be up to the challenge if they want to advance.
Bruins: On the other side of the matchup is the Bruins, who have had one of the more peculiar strong seasons in sometime. The black and gold arrive in the playoffs looking to put last year’s heartbreak behind them, and it feels like their rivals from Toronto are the perfect victim. David Pastrnak led the team in all offensive stats but look for Brad Marchand to raise his level as usual this postseason. Their x-factor, much like their opponent, is in goal as they will lean on the tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman to outplay whoever the Leafs go with. This matchup should be a good one, but for all times sake, I think the Bruins win a long battle this spring.
Prediction: Bruins in 7 (for old times sake)
Western Conference
Las Vegas Golden Knights (WC2) vs Dallas Stars (1)
Golden Knights: We kick off our Western preview with the defending champions who come into the first round looking to continue breaking in their deadline additions. They once again took advantage of their additional cap space by adding Noah Hanafin and Tomas Hertl to improve their forward and defense core. Mark Stone has also returned just in time for the playoffs to start so the Knights are the most complete they have been all season. Questions remain in goal though as Logan Thompson and Aiden Hill have struggled for an extended period of time now. A tough thing to overcome when facing the Stars defense and goaltending.
Stars: Their opponent is the Dallas Stars, a team that is about as complete as they come and feels primed for a run to the Finals. They came within two wins of the Cup Final a year ago and have only improved their team. While Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz lead their attack and Miro Heiskanen controls things on the back end, the lineup can hurt you in more ways than one. They boast eight 20 goal scorers, most notably second year centerman Wyatt Johnston, who took a big leap forward this season to help Dallas take the next step. They hold a decisive advantage in goal with Jake Ottinger in the pipes. If number 29 is up to it the challenge, the Stars should handle their business in this round.
Prediction: Stars in 6
Colorado Avalanche (3) vs Winnipeg Jets (2)
Jets: Their opponents have been an interesting team to follow all year long, as the Jets have far exceeded preseason expectations with an outstanding campaign. They are very complete and beat teams by committee as they don’t have a player who produced at a point per game pace this year (shoutout Mikey 150). But that doesn’t change the fact that their balanced attack can get at just about any team. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor lead the charge, but Tyler Toffoli, Sean Monahan and several others provide plenty of punch throughout the lineup while their strong defense led by Josh Morrissey shuts teams down. They will go as far as Connor Hellebuyck and their home ice advantage will take them, and they will certainly need both to knock off the Avalanche.
Avalanche: The Avalanche come into this Central Division matchup off the back of a regular season where they looked utterly devastating at times. While their immense skill is constantly on display, it feels like for a change they’re lacking forward depth. To win this series they will need Nathan Mackinnon to play like the MVP candidate he has been all year with fellow big guns Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar providing backup. I suspect they’ll have to outshoot their problems in goal, as Alex Georgiev can hardly be counted on, which could present some real issues against Jets defense and goaltending. Despite this weakness, the offensive firepower may be too much for the Winnipeg in the end.
Prediction: Avalanche in 7
Nashville Predators (WC1) vs Vancouver Canucks (1)
Predators: Switching gears to the other side of the bracket, it’s time to discuss the Predators. Nashville comes into the playoffs after a blistering second half where they came back from the dead to secure a playoff spot. Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly lead a solid forward core that is well set up to succeed in playoff hockey. While their offense is good enough, their blue line is even better as Ryan McDonagh and the brilliant Roman Josi anchor a stout core that can help to dictate play. If you are lucky enough to get through them, Jusse Saros cleans up the back end coming off another strong season in the net. The Preds feel very dangerous in this opening round.
Canucks: Their opponent plays a much different game from them as the Canucks are one of the most entertaining teams in the league. Their dynamic lineup can turn a game into a track meet in the blink of an eye, making them very hard to contain, especially at home. Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and JT Miller lead the charge up front while Quinn Hughes keys the offense from the back end. They’re not the most physical team but make up for it with goaltender Thatcher Demko in the net. Number 35 is back from the injured list and if he can stay healthy this spring, the sky could be the limit for the Canucks. But they have a tough opening round draw with the Preds lying ahead of them.
Prediction: Predators in 7
Los Angeles Kings (3) vs Edmonton Oilers (2)
Kings: The Kings have had a very up and down campaign going into their third straight playoff matchup with the Oilers. LA began the year playing well before falling off and making a coaching change. Since that change they have been a bit more consistent and have done enough to make it back to the playoffs this spring but are looking to get the monkey off their back and advance to round two. They have a talented and balanced core of forwards (PLD aside) and will need those offensive weapons to show up in this first round series. Kevin Fiala will be leaned on here to break through against an Oilers defense that is a bit leaky. Cam Talbot (against his old team) and David Rittich will need to play well though to give the Kings a chance to extend this series, let alone win it.
Oilers: Their opponents in round one is the ever-explosive Edmonton Oilers. It was a wild season in Oil country as the team started poorly and had to make a coaching change. Since the switch to coach Chris Knoblauch, the Oilers have been dramatically better, playing well enough to earn home ice in round one. Their offense is the story once again as Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman put together strong seasons while their improving defense has cleaned things up on the backend. Much like the Kings, their goaltending is a bit suspect with Stuart Skinner doing the bulk of the work. They have dispatched the Kings two years running, I say they make it three.
Oilers in 6
Stanley Cup Champion: New York Rangers (over the Dallas Stars): Call me a homer but this I think it’s going to be time to party like its 1994!
Play along with myself, the Ed’s, Mikey150 and many other friends of the blog and pod in the NHL’s bracket challenge. It is free to enter, and you can compete against us to win some terrific prizes made by Little Ed. It should be a terrific postseason so share your Stanley Cup Predictions with us on our mailbag page.
That does it for Around the Rink. This series will continue through the playoffs and go fully into overdrive when the offseason begins. This is one of my favorites to write for this site and also one of the most requested. I am glad you have enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoy putting them together. You can find me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Also, check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. We have also launched a podcast which carries the same name as the Instagram account. Check out our new mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! Stay tuned for more to come in the days ahead!
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