5 fringe NHL teams poised to make the playoffs in 2019
By C.L. Kohuss
As we embark on theNHL offseason, it’s time again to dust off the crystal ball and start making some incredibly early guesses about what’s in store for 2018-19.
The 2018-19 NHL campaign is still four months off, but for us at FanSided, hockey never goes on holiday. And if your favorite team didn’t quite do enough to reach the postseason this time around, we bet you’ve been clamoring in agony for some news and content to hold you over.
Previously we riffed on who we thought would miss next season’s playoffs. If that made you spit venom, luck is on your side. This time we’re digging up the good vibes with five fringe hopefuls poised to make a run.
There were plenty of clubs that had a shot in the end to make the final 16, some losing out by a point or two, some that started the engine far too late and into the more cavernous parts of the season. Others were simply disappointing after hot campaigns the year prior. But as the adage goes, there’s always a new dawn arising. A stained shirt can always be cleaned. Broken hearts will forever mend. Okay that’s enough.
That said, throw in some tide pods on your team’s past performance (don’t eat them, please) and get ready for the fresh scent of “spirits renewed.” Below, five clubs we’re putting all our chips on to make a return.
5. New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are going to do whatever it takes to resign superstar John Tavares. And when they likely do resign him, management is going to do whatever it takes to make sure this team is a perennial contender. They already have Center Josh Bailey locked up long-term, they should resign defenseman Calvin De Haan as well and they have 21-year-old Mathew Barzal popping 80-plus points already. Not to mention, it looks like Barry Trotz will be at the helm.
Not to mention, the Islanders are a year removed from 94 points, and they posted back-to-back years of 100 point seasons in 2014 and 2015. They also have picks 11 and 12 in the NHL Draft, which they could use to move up and nab a stud or stay right where they are and add two huge pieces to this ongoing puzzle.
New York only finished with 80 points this year, which was as disappointing as you’d expect for a team featuring Tavares and the talent around him. But we simply don’t see them faltering again in 2019. Though this has to depend greatly of course on what actually happens with Tavares. Should he leave for a different pasture, well that certainly erases the likelihood of even being close to postseason contention.
But if he stays? The Islanders will be on the rise very quickly and we expect them to be back in the playoffs. Really, it would and should be unacceptable from an Islanders’ management perspective if they signed Tavares to a gigantic deal only to see the team lose out again. This is in the same vein as any other superstud. Don’t waste the best years of a player’s career with sub-par efforts.