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In this edition of the hotstove, we discuss which team in the final four is least likely to make it back again next season.
Todd Cordell
I think the San Jose Sharks will have a tough time getting back to the conference finals.
It is possible – if not likely – they lose at least one or two of Joe Pavelski, Gustav Nyquist, Erik Karlsson and/or Joe Thornton, all of whom are in need of new contracts. That will sting.
What will also cause problems is, well, age. By the time next year's playoffs roll around Brent Burns will be 35, Marc-Edouard Vlasic will be 33, Logan Couture will be 31, Pavelski (if still around) will be 35, etc. Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier are fantastic but the Sharks otherwise rely mostly on a lot of old players who, in some cases, are already starting to slow down.
On top of that, Martin Jones is statistically one of the worst starters in the league over the last few years. I doubt he'll be able to make up for any dip in performance from the guys in front of him.
I also think the path to the final four is extremely difficult. Vegas already had a great team and next season Nikita Gusev and Cody Glass figure to join the fray as full-timers. Calgary has a really strong team as well and they're not expected to lose any pieces of real importance.
Simply put, I think there are a lot of potential concerns for the Sharks and I expect some of them to flare up.
James Tanner
The least likely team to make it back to the final four next year is the Bruins. The Sharks are older, but they have a bunch of guys who appear to be ageless. The Blues and the Canes are up-and-coming teams who should be good for a while. The real problem with the Bruins is they had to have an insane amount of luck to beat the Leafs (i.e the refs made every call in their favor, and they won based on an unsustainable power-play). Also, the Bruins are in the same division as the two best rosters in the NHL - Tampa and Toronto - and this won't ever happen again. Hopefully they are eliminated soon because I can't stand watching them.
Sean Maloughney
I believe all four teams should be considered playoff teams next season but I would say the Sharks have the least likely chance at returning to the final four. The young(er) core in San Jose will still be together in Kane, Couture, Hertl, and Meier but next years itteration of the Sharks will look extremely different.
Pavelski, Thornton, Nyquist, and Karlsson are all free agents at the end of this season. Long-tenured players like Pavelski and Thornton might come to agreements on one-year deals at cheaper costs if they wish to stay in San Jose but that's up for debate. Erik Karlsson will almost certainly be gone, looking for the biggest contract he can find.
Carolina is young and on the rise, the Blues took half a season to figure things out but now look like a dominant team and as long as the way to the Finals is through Toronto, Boston will always have a strong chance at making it to the final four.
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