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New York Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
New York Sirens eliminated from PWHL playoff contention: Gold Plan, offseason, what's next
The New York Sirens have officially failed to qualify for the PWHL playoffs for the second straight year. New York hasn't played since April 1 — before the league took its international break for the women's world championship in Czechia – but was on the brink of elimination with the league's first games back on Saturday afternoon. Regulation wins by Boston and Ottawa on Saturday afternoon officially eliminated New York from playoff contention. Advertisement It's another disappointing early end to a season that began with promise. The Sirens drafted star forward Sarah Fillier first overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft, a significant addition to a forward group that already included elite talent in forward Alex Carpenter, defender Ella Shelton and goalie Corinne Schroeder. A new coach in Greg Fargo brought experience and a fresh perspective to a team that struggled mightily during the PWHL's inaugural season under Howie Draper, who left the team after just one season. At first, New York looked poised to have a strong Year 2, winning three of its first four games with strong performances by Fillier, Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge on the top line. But, the Sirens quickly started to look like a one-line club with Carpenter and Fillier scoring one-third of the team's goals to this point in the season. With Eldridge, who has moved off the top line at times, the Sirens' top trio represented 47 percent of the team's offense. Heading into the 2024-25 season, the hope was that New York's depth players who might have underperformed in Year 1 would improve in Year 2. But, just like last year, several players failed to meet expectations. Élizabeth Giguère, a prolific NCAA player, has only scored two goals and four points. So has Chloé Aurard. Abby Roque, one of New York's top-three signings, only has six goals in 27 games. The Sirens' 2024 draft class — which was supposed to add to the team's depth of talent — has also struggled this season. New York's top five picks after selecting Fillier — Maja Nylén Persson, Noora Tulus, Allyson Simpson, Gabby Rosenthal and Elle Hartje — have only scored five goals and 21 points combined over 27 games. That's less than Fillier's own production (27 points) in her rookie season. More than anything, though, it was a nine-game losing streak from January to March that really sunk New York's season. During that stretch, Schroeder struggled, Carpenter got injured, and Filler only scored three goals. The Sirens were outscored 36-15 over the nine games. New York won four of six games in regulation after the losing streak to keep its season alive. But, ultimately, ran out of runway. Now that New York is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Gold Plan — the PWHL's method of determining the draft order — will officially go into effect. According to the plan, once a team is eliminated from the playoffs, it begins earning 'draft order points' using the league's standard points system. The team with the most points at the end of the regular season will be awarded the first-overall pick in the draft. Advertisement New York has three games remaining — against Minnesota, Toronto and Montreal — which means it has three chances to collect as many points as possible to win the first-overall pick. New York will likely have a significant head start in accumulating points after elimination with fifth-place Minnesota only two points behind Boston for the fourth and final playoff spot. It remains unclear how PWHL Vancouver, the league's first expansion franchise, will be integrated, and potentially impact the draft order. U.S. forward Abbey Murphy could be the consensus No. 1 pick should she declare for this year's draft. But she still has the option to return to the University of Minnesota for one final season. If Murphy returns to the NCAA, Casey O'Brien could be the top prospect available for New York to select. She's an all-situations center with vision and a solid shot, and was among the best players in the faceoff dot last season. She finished her college career as the all-time points leader in Wisconsin hockey history, with 274 points in 183 career games. There's also a case to be made for Haley Winn in the No. 1 spot. She is an offensively gifted right-shot defender who could upgrade any team's blue line and top power play. She's also played against top competition for years as a member of Team USA, and just won a gold medal at women's worlds in Czechia. It's shaping up to be a busy offseason for general manager Pascal Daoust. With PWHL Vancouver entering the league in 2025-26, New York could lose a regular player (or two if the PWHL adds an eighth franchise) to an expansion draft. Then, there's the entry draft on June 24 in Ottawa. Nothing will be bigger than free agency, though, with Fillier on an expiring contract. After a months-long negotiation between Fillier's camp and the organization, she signed a one-year deal back in November. The Sirens still own Fillier's rights for one more year, per the league's rookie rules, but this next set of negotiations will be critical for New York's future. Fillier could sign another one-year contract and walk in free agency after next season, or sign long-term in New York. Either option, but especially the former, would change the course of the franchise. Advertisement There are other free agents to consider, too. Forwards Jade Downie-Landry, Giguère and Aurard are all in the final year of their two-year contracts, as is defender Brooke Hobson. Daoust will need to decide if he wants to bring any of his free agents back before they hit the open market. Or if he's going to look to upgrade his depth via free agency (or the draft) after another disappointing season.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PWHL playoff race is back on: Top 5 storylines to watch down the stretch
After a break for the IIHF Women's World Championship in Czechia, the Professional Women's Hockey League is back. There are nine games left in the league's schedule, which starts up again on Saturday afternoon, and three games remaining for each team. Only the Montreal Victoire have clinched a playoff spot — Toronto could be the second on Saturday afternoon — and no teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. Advertisement Even when a team is eliminated, there are still points that need to be won thanks to the league's adoption of the Gold Plan. Meanwhile, only two points separate Boston, Ottawa and Minnesota for the third and fourth spots in the Walter Cup Playoffs. A lot can change between now and May 3, the final day of the season. But if the inaugural year was any indication, with the playoff picture only finalized after the very last game, the 2024-25 stretch run should be filled with drama and intrigue. Before the puck drops again, let's dive into the top storylines to watch from the playoff race to expansion news and more. The MVP race This time last year, Natalie Spooner had pretty much locked up every major trophy (MVP, Forward of the Year and both scoring titles). This year, however, the race still feels pretty tight. Advertisement Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin is likely the front-runner for MVP. Her league-leading 17 goals represents around 25 percent of Montreal's offense. But nobody in the PWHL has more points than Boston's Hilary Knight (28), whose 15 goals are tied for second in the league. There's also Toronto defender Renata Fast to seriously consider. She's been the best all-around defender this season, quarterbacks the league's best power play and is tied for the league lead in assists (15). Fast also leads the league in hits (58) and is tied for third in blocked shots (48). The Sceptres have a ton of depth at forward and Kristen Campbell has rounded out her game in the latter half of the season, but one could argue that without Fast anchoring the blue line, Toronto wouldn't be anywhere close to second place. Will someone pull away in their final three games? Could other players make a strong case down the stretch? It'll be more interesting to see than last year without Spooner completely dominating the league. Can Ottawa clinch its first-ever playoff berth? The Charge went into the international break as the fourth (and final) playoff team. Now they'll have three games to hold onto that spot. Advertisement Last season, Ottawa squandered multiple chances to clinch a playoff spot down the stretch. A 5-2 loss against Toronto on the final day of the season ended Ottawa's playoff hopes and allowed the Minnesota Frost to back their way into the playoffs on a five-game losing streak. As it stands now, the Charge only have a 54 percent chance of making the playoffs, behind fifth-place Minnesota and third-place Boston, according to Dom Luszczyszyn's playoff projections. The model favors Minnesota over both Boston and Ottawa partly because they're the reigning champions and they have a positive goal differential. The Frost are only one point behind Ottawa in fifth place, and the two teams will face off next week in a game that should have massive playoff implications for both sides. The Charge are leading the season series 3-2, with some lopsided wins (an 8-3 victory in February), but also losses (5-0 last month). There's reason for fans to be optimistic about Ottawa. Goalie Gwyneth Philips was excellent at women's worlds, only allowing one goal against, which came in the gold medal game against Canada in relief of Aerin Frankel. With Emerance Maschmeyer injured, Philips has proven to be more than able to take the reins. Advertisement But there are also areas of concern. Ottawa's offense has been inconsistent. The team's 66 goals on the season are tied for last in the league with New York. Forward Kateřina Mrázová was activated from long-term injured reserve, but also revealed she played through two broken bones and a torn ligament in her wrist at women's worlds. Will she play down the stretch, or need to rest until they hopefully make the playoffs? At the end of the day, Ottawa is in the middle of a playoff race and sandwiched in the standings between the two teams that made the Walter Cup Final last season. Whether or not the team can hold onto fourth — or move further up the standings — is going to be a massive story over the final two weeks of the season. And if they fail to make the playoffs two years in a row, what changes (if any) could they make? Frankel's return from women's worlds The last time we saw Frankel on the ice, she was being helped to the bench after a scary collision with Canadian forward Laura Stacey during the gold medal game at women's worlds. Advertisement On the play, Frankel left her crease to play a puck while the U.S. was on the power play. Stacey, one of Canada's top penalty killers, was chasing the puck down and collided with Frankel, who stayed on the ice for several very quiet moments. Frankel did not return to the game, but had already locked in the goalie of the tournament award with her 1.05 goals against average and .945 save percentage. There has been no official update on Frankel's status since returning from worlds. But considering the Fleet are still very much in a fight for the playoffs, it's fair to wonder if Frankel will be available to play, let alone 100 percent down the stretch. That said, Frankel, Knight and Megan Keller did throw the first pitch at a Red Sox game at Fenway Park Wednesday night, so perhaps she's doing OK. That would be a huge relief for the Fleet. Last season, Frankel was reason Boston ran the table after returning from worlds and made the playoffs at all. Then she largely carried the team all the way to Game 5 of the Walter Cup Final. Advertisement Should Frankel need some time post-tournament, Emma Söderberg or Klára Peslarová would be tested on Saturday against No. 2 Toronto. Söderberg had a solid tournament, albeit in the less competitive Group B. Peslarová made 160 saves for Czechia, the third-most tournament-wide, including a 43-save performance against Team USA in the semis. Something to monitor for Boston, too, is top-line forward Alina Müller. She left Switzerland's final game at worlds with an injury in the final five minutes. Who gets the first overall pick? The New York Sirens could be the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday if Boston beats Toronto in regulation and Ottawa beats Montreal in regulation. Advertisement If that doesn't come to pass, the Sirens will have a big game of their own against Minnesota on Sunday afternoon. If they win, there's a chance they'll stay alive and throw a wrench in Minnesota's attempts to get back into the playoffs. But hoping for New York to run the table like Boston did last year seems like a stretch. According to Dom's model, New York has a zero percent chance of making the playoffs. Once they are ultimately eliminated, any standings points earned will go toward the Gold Plan, which determines the league's draft order by how many points a team earns after being eliminated from the playoffs. It's likely New York wins the pick, simply because every other team is still in the midst of a playoff race. But there's also the league's newest franchise to consider. Will PWHL Vancouver get the first overall pick? Will there be a lottery between the Gold Plan winner and the new team(s) for the top pick? Or will the pick just go to the Gold Plan winner? In the WNBA, the expansion Golden State Valkyries drafted No. 5 on April 15, with the Dallas Wings (the lottery winners) drafting No. 1. How the PWHL handles this is still to be determined. (More) expansion news On Wednesday, the PWHL officially announced that its first expansion franchise will be in Vancouver, with the team set to debut in time for the 2025-26 season. Advertisement The announcement is only the start of a major storyline in the league, with several loose ends that will need to be wrapped up in the coming weeks. Beyond how the team might be integrated into the 2025 draft, the league still needs to reveal how a PWHL expansion draft might work, the Vancouver team's name and logo, and whether there will be a second team joining the league next season. Executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer said the league is 'hopeful' there will be a second team, but added it would be premature to say anything else. It stands to reason that a second team could be geographically close to Vancouver. A PWHL website gaffe on Monday might have revealed Seattle as the league's second destination, with a link to 'Shop Seattle' (and a similar one for Vancouver) visible before being taken down. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Advertisement NHL, Women's Hockey 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
25-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
PWHL playoff race is back on: Top 5 storylines to watch down the stretch
After a break for the IIHF Women's World Championship in Czechia, the Professional Women's Hockey League is back. There are nine games left in the league's schedule, which starts up again on Saturday afternoon, and three games remaining for each team. Only the Montreal Victoire have clinched a playoff spot — Toronto could be the second on Saturday afternoon — and no teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. Even when a team is eliminated, there are still points that need to be won thanks to the league's adoption of the Gold Plan. Meanwhile, only two points separate Boston, Ottawa and Minnesota for the third and fourth spots in the Walter Cup Playoffs. Here's where things stand headed into break 👀 — PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) April 4, 2025 A lot can change between now and May 3, the final day of the season. But if the inaugural year was any indication, with the playoff picture only finalized after the very last game, the 2024-25 stretch run should be filled with drama and intrigue. Before the puck drops again, let's dive into the top storylines to watch from the playoff race to expansion news and more. This time last year, Natalie Spooner had pretty much locked up every major trophy (MVP, Forward of the Year and both scoring titles). This year, however, the race still feels pretty tight. Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin is likely the front-runner for MVP. Her league-leading 17 goals represents around 25 percent of Montreal's offense. But nobody in the PWHL has more points than Boston's Hilary Knight (28), whose 15 goals are tied for second in the league. Advertisement There's also Toronto defender Renata Fast to seriously consider. She's been the best all-around defender this season, quarterbacks the league's best power play and is tied for the league lead in assists (15). Fast also leads the league in hits (58) and is tied for third in blocked shots (48). The Sceptres have a ton of depth at forward and Kristen Campbell has rounded out her game in the latter half of the season, but one could argue that without Fast anchoring the blue line, Toronto wouldn't be anywhere close to second place. Will someone pull away in their final three games? Could other players make a strong case down the stretch? It'll be more interesting to see than last year without Spooner completely dominating the league. The Charge went into the international break as the fourth (and final) playoff team. Now they'll have three games to hold onto that spot. Last season, Ottawa squandered multiple chances to clinch a playoff spot down the stretch. A 5-2 loss against Toronto on the final day of the season ended Ottawa's playoff hopes and allowed the Minnesota Frost to back their way into the playoffs on a five-game losing streak. As it stands now, the Charge only have a 54 percent chance of making the playoffs, behind fifth-place Minnesota and third-place Boston, according to Dom Luszczyszyn's playoff projections. The model favors Minnesota over both Boston and Ottawa partly because they're the reigning champions and they have a positive goal differential. The Frost are only one point behind Ottawa in fifth place, and the two teams will face off next week in a game that should have massive playoff implications for both sides. The Charge are leading the season series 3-2, with some lopsided wins (an 8-3 victory in February), but also losses (5-0 last month). Advertisement There's reason for fans to be optimistic about Ottawa. Goalie Gwyneth Philips was excellent at women's worlds, only allowing one goal against, which came in the gold medal game against Canada in relief of Aerin Frankel. With Emerance Maschmeyer injured, Philips has proven to be more than able to take the reins. But there are also areas of concern. Ottawa's offense has been inconsistent. The team's 66 goals on the season are tied for last in the league with New York. Forward Kateřina Mrázová was activated from long-term injured reserve, but also revealed she played through two broken bones and a torn ligament in her wrist at women's worlds. Will she play down the stretch, or need to rest until they hopefully make the playoffs? At the end of the day, Ottawa is in the middle of a playoff race and sandwiched in the standings between the two teams that made the Walter Cup Final last season. Whether or not the team can hold onto fourth — or move further up the standings — is going to be a massive story over the final two weeks of the season. And if they fail to make the playoffs two years in a row, what changes (if any) could they make? The last time we saw Frankel on the ice, she was being helped to the bench after a scary collision with Canadian forward Laura Stacey during the gold medal game at women's worlds. On the play, Frankel left her crease to play a puck while the U.S. was on the power play. Stacey, one of Canada's top penalty killers, was chasing the puck down and collided with Frankel, who stayed on the ice for several very quiet moments. Laura Stacey entre SOLIDEMENT en collision avec la gardienne américaine Aerin Frankel ! 😯#ChampionnatduMondedeHockeyFéminin — RDS (@RDSca) April 20, 2025 Frankel did not return to the game, but had already locked in the goalie of the tournament award with her 1.05 goals against average and .945 save percentage. There has been no official update on Frankel's status since returning from worlds. But considering the Fleet are still very much in a fight for the playoffs, it's fair to wonder if Frankel will be available to play, let alone 100 percent down the stretch. That said, Frankel, Knight and Megan Keller did throw the first pitch at a Red Sox game at Fenway Park Wednesday night, so perhaps she's doing OK. That would be a huge relief for the Fleet. Our world champs were throwing HEAT last night 😮💨🔥 Big thanks to @RedSox for having the whole squad out at Fenway! — Boston Fleet (@PWHL_Boston) April 24, 2025 Last season, Frankel was the reason Boston ran the table after returning from worlds and made the playoffs at all. Then she largely carried the team all the way to Game 5 of the Walter Cup Final. Should Frankel need some time post-tournament, Emma Söderberg or Klára Peslarová would be tested on Saturday against No. 2 Toronto. Söderberg had a solid tournament, albeit in the less competitive Group B. Peslarová made 160 saves for Czechia, the third-most tournament-wide, including a 43-save performance against Team USA in the semis. Advertisement Something to monitor for Boston, too, is top-line forward Alina Müller. She left Switzerland's final game at worlds with an injury in the final five minutes. The New York Sirens could be the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday if Boston beats Toronto in regulation and Ottawa beats Montreal in regulation. If that doesn't come to pass, the Sirens will have a big game of their own against Minnesota on Sunday afternoon. If they win, there's a chance they'll stay alive and throw a wrench in Minnesota's attempts to get back into the playoffs. But hoping for New York to run the table like Boston did last year seems like a stretch. According to Dom's model, New York has a zero percent chance of making the playoffs. Once they are ultimately eliminated, any standings points earned will go toward the Gold Plan, which determines the league's draft order by how many points a team earns after being eliminated from the playoffs. It's likely New York wins the pick, simply because every other team is still in the midst of a playoff race. But there's also the league's newest franchise to consider. Will PWHL Vancouver get the first overall pick? Will there be a lottery between the Gold Plan winner and the new team(s) for the top pick? Or will the pick just go to the Gold Plan winner? In the WNBA, the expansion Golden State Valkyries drafted No. 5 on April 15, with the Dallas Wings (the lottery winners) drafting No. 1. How the PWHL handles this is still to be determined. On Wednesday, the PWHL officially announced that its first expansion franchise will be in Vancouver, with the team set to debut in time for the 2025-26 season. The announcement is only the start of a major storyline in the league, with several loose ends that will need to be wrapped up in the coming weeks. Beyond how the team might be integrated into the 2025 draft, the league still needs to reveal how a PWHL expansion draft might work, the Vancouver team's name and logo, and whether there will be a second team joining the league next season. Advertisement Executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer said the league is 'hopeful' there will be a second team, but added it would be premature to say anything else. It stands to reason that a second team could be geographically close to Vancouver. A PWHL website gaffe on Monday might have revealed Seattle as the league's second destination, with a link to 'Shop Seattle' (and a similar one for Vancouver) visible before being taken down. (Photo of Tereza Vanišová: Troy Parla / Getty Images)
New York Times
14-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Weekend NHL rankings: A top 16, oddly specific playoff predictions and Gold Plan standings
Welcome to the last Weekend Rankings of the 2024-25 season. Longtime readers know what that means: You're getting a top 16 instead of a top five, with every playoff team ranked. We'll also check in on what the Gold Plan standings would look like in the bottom five, and we'll even make a few oddly specific predictions. Advertisement When the schedule first came out, I was a bit nervous about the season ending on a Thursday, since that meant the last rankings would come out when each team still had a game or two left. What if there was a furious race down to the wire, and I couldn't do a top 16 because there were 20 or more teams still battling it out for the final spots? Luckily, the NHL heard my concerns and responded accordingly, delivering an absolute dud of a late-season race in which we basically already know all the playoff teams and most of the matchups. Yay? We'll get to the rankings in a bit. But first, let's make five oddly Round 1 specific predictions, a tradition inspired by the annual regular-season version we all love so much. And unlike the regular-season picks, I can actually claim to come into the postseason version on a bit of a hot streak. I went 2-for-5 on last year's predictions, finding paydirt on Mark Stone scoring the Golden Knights' first goal and the Oilers scoring seven times in their opener. I also predicted that a goalie who had a shutout in Game 1 would lose his starting job, and while there were no Game 1 shutouts in Round 1, the first goose egg of the postseason came from Stuart Skinner, who did indeed lose his job to Calvin Pickard for a few games. In the oddly specific prediction game, like in baseball, hitting .400 basically makes you Ted Williams. Although to be honest, I'll happily settle for Mario Mendoza. 5. Brady Tkachuk will Brady Tkachuk — At some point in the near-certain Maple Leafs series, he's going to do something controversial and vaguely dirty that will A) have Toronto fans calling for a suspension, B) not result in that suspension, and C) make you kind of hate both fan bases over how unbearable they're being about the whole thing. In the prediction business, this is the equivalent of taking the free space on a bingo card. Advertisement 4. The Oilers will win the first game in Los Angeles — And we'll all make snide remarks about playing all year for home ice only to immediately cough it up. But it's OK, because this one comes with a bonus prediction: The Kings will win the first game in Edmonton. 3. The Stars/Avalanche series will be a sweep — This is one of those predictions where we think of the best possible outcome for fans and then assume the hockey gods will serve up the opposite. Let's just say I better be wrong here. 2. The Habs will shut out the Capitals in one of the first two games — It goes without saying that this will make everyone freak out and conjure the memories of Jaroslav Halak. Then the Caps win the series in five. 1. The eventual Stanley Cup champion will lose their opener in overtime — And yes, this means that if your team goes to OT in Game 1, you have to root against them. By the way: If you don't like these predictions, or think yours would be better, there's good news: The playoff prediction contest returns later this week. One question, which you will get wrong. Or will you? Make sure you get your entry in, and let's find out. The five teams with the best chances of winning the Stanley Cup. All 16 playoff teams, in order from least to most likely to win the Cup, based on everything we know about matchups and seeding as of this morning (which isn't quite everything, but should be enough). Each team gets two sentences each, no more, no less. 16. Montreal Canadiens — Just being here at all feels like a minor miracle, so they should just be happy to be there and bow out quickly. Then again, we've said that a few times about this team over the years, and that's exactly when they shock us. 15. Minnesota Wild — There are no bad teams in the NHL playoffs anymore. There are occasionally mediocre ones, though, and that's what I think we have here. Advertisement 14. St. Louis Blues — If they'd kept winning right to the finish line, this would have been a much trickier call. As it stands, they'll be dangerous but probably overwhelmed. 13. New Jersey Devils — Damn, the Friday guys had them dead last. I don't think it's that bad, but without Jack Hughes, this doesn't feel like their year to go all the way. 12. Los Angeles Kings — After lots of back and forth, I've finally made my decision on whether I believe in them against the Oilers, even with home ice. I think this ranking tells you what that decision was. 11. Ottawa Senators —They'll have a goalie, a winnable matchup their fans will be rabid for and some legitimate 'nobody believes in us' energy. If you're looking for a wild-card team that could make a surprise run, this is the one, so don't act like you weren't warned. 10. Toronto Maple Leafs — Another postseason, another matchup they should probably win and another sinking feeling that we know how it's going to end. The Leafs could absolutely win a Cup with this roster, but it feels more and more like it would take a 2018 Capitals type of year, and we're well past 'believe it when I see it, not before' territory here. 9. Tampa Bay Lightning — I'm not sure how to get them any higher. But if it all comes together and they win it all, it's going to seem super obvious in hindsight. 8. Edmonton Oilers — I'm just not feeling it this year, even as all the pieces are clearly in place. Well, almost all of the pieces, depending on whether Mattias Ekholm can return (and how you feel about them deciding to entrust another McDavid/Draisaitl-era playoff run to Stuart Skinner). 7. Colorado Avalanche — I have no idea how to factor in what kind of boost, if any, they get from a Gabriel Landeskog return. Beyond that, we can all see that the Central is brutal, but these guys could absolutely be the ones to take it. 👏 Congrats to Gabriel Landeskog on recording on his first AHL goal as he continues his journey back to the @NHL . @ColoradoEagles @Avalanche — American Hockey League (@TheAHL) April 13, 2025 6. Florida Panthers — My Atlantic pick is no surprise if you've read the rankings all year, but I believe in them more than the standings say I should. But in a minor surprise, it turns out I don't believe in them nearly as much as the Friday guys apparently do. 5. Washington Capitals — This ranking represents a late-season drop, and I guess I lost a bit of my nerve, even as I still have them higher than the actual oddsmakers do. Don't worry, Caps fans — just think of how great it will be when they're in the Final and you all get to make fun of people like me for overthinking it. Advertisement 4. Dallas Stars — They looked dominant all season, then completely broken for the last week, and recency bias is a hell of a drug. I'm scared about their path out of the Central, but if they do emerge with a healthy Miro Heiskanen, they'll be clear favorites. 3. Carolina Hurricanes — They're my Metro pick, edging out the Caps. There are more than a few flaws here, especially in terms of scoring, but I still think it adds up to a team that can at least get back to the conference finals, and maybe more. 2. Vegas Golden Knights — The first-round matchup should be an easy win, the second round no longer looks as scary as it once did, and the Central winner should be exhausted by the conference finals. They may not be the best team, but I'm not sure anyone has a more obvious path to the Cup. 1. Winnipeg Jets — I've had my doubts all year, but they've got the best goalie, lots of scoring, a fan base that's absolutely starving for a Stanley Cup and a whole country ready to get behind them if they go deep. Screw it, we ride. Not ranked: Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets — Barring a miracle, they're both done. But thank you for being the only teams that were even vaguely trying to give us a late-season playoff race. The five teams headed toward dead last and the best lottery odds for a top pick that could be James Hagens, Matthew Schaefer or someone else. This is the time of year when we unveil what the race for the top pick would look like under the Gold Plan, an alternate method of determining draft order that I've been advocating for years. While there's little indication that the NHL has any appetite for adopting the plan, the momentum among fans has been building, helped by the PWHL embracing the plan last year. In short, the idea here is that the top pick goes to the team that earns the most points after being eliminated from the playoff race. So the bad teams still get an advantage, in the form of a head start when they're eliminated early, but now they have to win their way to the pick. That would mean no more cheering for your own team to lose down the stretch, plus the occasional late-season matchup between bad teams that would feel like a playoff game. (For example, yesterday's Bruins/Penguins would feel important, instead of like a waste of everyone's time.) Advertisement It goes without saying that not everyone loves the idea, because we're hockey fans and we can never agree on anything. I've tried to tackle the various objections over the years, but I also want to be an advocate instead of a zealot, which means I have to acknowledge when the other side might have a point. So I have to admit … yeah, this year wasn't a great one for the Gold Plan. One of the arguments against the idea has been 'What happens if the conferences are so unbalanced that one side gets eliminated way earlier than the others?' And the answer was always 'The odds of that happening in a meaningful way are small enough to essentially ignore.' Oops. It did happen this year, thanks to an Eastern wild-card race so tepid that it means all the conference's worst teams couldn't pass the elimination mark until the season was nearly over. Meanwhile, the West's worst teams were happily banking Gold Plan points for weeks, even though their overall records weren't much worse than the East. So is this a reason to dump the Gold Plan, or a one-off we can live with? That's up to you, but we can at least admit this year's standings get weird. Bonus fun fact: We can't end the section without one last piece of bottom-five misery. The Blackhawks are in Montreal tonight to play the Canadiens, a team they previously beat in their only other matchup this year. With a loss, they'll become the first team in NHL history to lose to 31 teams in a season, and the first team since 1992-93 to lose to every other team in the league at least once. That will do it for another season. Thanks everyone for reading, and especially to all of you who argued your favorite team's case in a way that made the comment section slightly less of a trainwreck than other comment sections. Enjoy the playoffs and the offseason, and before you know it we'll be back in October with Week 1 rankings that will look absolutely terrible in hindsight. (Photo of Brady Tkachuk: Ed Mulholland / Imagn Images)
