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Which team in the final four is most likely to make it back next season?

May 14, 2019, 11:46 AM ET [16 Comments]
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In this edition of the hotstove, we discuss which team in the final four is most likely to make it back again next season.

Todd Cordell

The Carolina Hurricanes.

They're a very solid team and almost all of their key players are in their prime or have yet to enter it. Teuvo Tervainanen is 24. Sebastian Aho is 21. Andrei Svechnikov is 19. Nino Niederreiter is 26. Jaccob Slavin is 25. Dougie Hamilton is 25. Brett Pesce is 24, etc, etc. Some of those guys can still take their game up a notch or two, and there's no reason to believe any of them are going to decline in the near future.

What's especially enticing about the Hurricanes is they have more cap space than any team in the league. I know they're not a team that spends a ton, but there is still room for them to make a strong addition or two to support their core group without going anywhere near the cap ceiling. They have plenty of assets (like three 2nd rounders in 2019, and three 3rd rounders in 2020) at their disposal to help land a quality piece.

They also have a more friendly path than a team like Boston or San Jose. The Bruins will have to go through Tampa Bay and Toronto, and the Sharks will have to go through Vegas and Calgary.

Carolina has to deal with a Washington team they have already beaten, a Pittsburgh side that needs quite a bit of patch work, and a lot of mediocrity beyond that.

I'm not saying the Hurricanes are a lock to make it back next year. No team is. I just think their solid, young core, combined with the cap space and assets to add around it, and a suddenly subpar division, makes them the best bet.

Peter Tessier

Given the state of hockey how many in the final four right now were predicted to be there? Boston, maybe San Jose?

Those seem to be the two the are obvious favorites but what if teams like Carolina and St. Louis use their bountiful and slight cap space well?

This of course means that teams like Calgary, Colorado, Toronto, Washington and Tampa don't make improvements too? Of all the teams I think Boston is the best positioned to return simply because of the roster talent, age spread and division they play in. Boston also has the ability to make strategy additions should they choose with their cap space, nearly 10 plus million of it. Makes me want to throw up a little but the Bruins are in a very strong position for a few years- sorry Leafs fans.

Adam French

I would say the Bruins are the most likely to be back. The only guys they will likely lose are Johansson and Acciari to Free Agency, both of whom I think can be replaced internally through their prospects. The McAvoy and Carlo deals might get dicey as they have 9mil to bring both back, plus Grzelcyk and Heinen, but I can't see McAvoy getting over 6.5mil and Carlo 4mil.

They'll still have an elite goalie tandem. They will still have the perfection line. Kevan Miller will return to the lineup. Maybe they find a taker for John Moore and free up some space.

They have some interesting young players that could be difference makers or at the very least playable bodies. Vakaanainen looks like he's almost ready to make the jump.

I don't see any of the Eastern teams that missed the playoffs leapfrogging them unless something goes horribly wrong.

I think the Bruins are the most comfortable pick for making it back. Especially given San Jose's age and contract crunch, the Hurricanes being one goalie meltdown from falling out and the Blues banking on a sophomore goalie being a Vezina level player for a full season.

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