Michael O’Grady | sports editor

The 2024-25 NHL season was somewhat of a changing of the guard for the league. Boston missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs and had the least amount of wins for a Bruins team since 2006. The New York Rangers won the President’s Trophy in 2024 only to have a bust of a season this year. If there’s one phenomenon to explain why the field feels so new this April, it’s that those two along with Detroit and Chicago all failed to reach the playoffs for the first time ever, going back to 1926-27 when the Rangers, Red Wings and Blackhawks joined the NHL.

Toronto is a playoff lock in these times with names like Auston Matthews and William Nylander (and this year it’s even playing defense), so it’s not as if the Original Six isn’t represented, but the big surprise this season was Montreal joining them. The most storied hockey franchise in the world wrote yet another thrilling chapter in its book, winning a race for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot behind the emergence of Calder favorite Lane Hutson and budding superstar Nick Suzuki. It’s a big step forward for the young Canadiens after four straight seasons of sitting out playoff time.

Their challenge is the Capitals, who went from playoff afterthoughts to the East’s best team seemingly overnight. New all-time NHL goal king Alex Ovechkin is on fire and surrounded by a cast that could win his second ring. Elsewhere in the East, reigning champion Florida only got stronger by adding Brad Marchand in a shock deal with Boston, and rival Tampa Bay got the band back together, acquiring back Yanni Gourde and Ryan McDonagh in an effort to win the Cup for the third time in six years with Bolts legends Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman. Carolina is always dangerous, even more so if it breaks a conference finals stigma, and New Jersey is little more than a stepping stone on its way there. Not to be left out is Ottawa, appearing in the playoffs for the first time since Chris Kunitz’s 2OT goal sent the Penguins to the final in 2017. The Sens will fight, but Toronto is just better.

In the West, Winnipeg amassed 116 points with unreal goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck and offensive firepower from Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. The Jets’ first test is the Blues, who barely survived Calgary’s attempt to steal the last playoff spot. Leon Draisaitl was the best player on Connor McDavid’s Oilers this season, they face Los Angeles in the first round for a fourth straight year. Kirill Kaprizov is awesome, but isn’t healthy enough yet to lead Minnesota past Vegas.

The real series to watch out west is Colorado and Dallas. For Avalanche fans, Mikko Rantanen joining the Stars is Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader, but they’ve supplanted his spot and Gabriel Landeskog is even coming back to join Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Dallas has to hope Rantanen, Jason Robertson, Jake Oettinger and company are enough to beat its hated rivals. It won’t be a surprise if the Cup winner emerges from this series, but nothing is guaranteed in these playoffs.
Mike’s Prediction: Tampa Bay over Winnipeg, 4-2 Conn Smythe: Brayden Point