5 fringe NHL teams poised to make the playoffs in 2019

5 of 5

SUNRISE, FL – FEBRUARY 6: Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers is congratulated by teammates after scoring a second period goal against the Vancouver Canucks at the BB&T Center on February 6, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

1. Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers were a single point away from major contention in 2018, losing out with 96 points to the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference. They were ho-hum mediocre to borderline awful in the beginning as they hovered around .500 hockey all the way through January. In a way, it was expected. In a few ways it wasn’t.

Bench boss Gerard Gallant was “fired” a mere one season after being named a Coach of the Year candidate (stories have differed), so it was going to take some getting used to under Bob Boughner. They also lost Jonathan Marchessault who had potted 30 goals in 2017. Yet this was still a team that posted 103 points in 2016 to win the Atlantic Division. A team still with enough talent in the likes of Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau to compete in the least for a Wild Card.

Here’s the good news: They absolutely competed down the stretch and were frighteningly impressive for a stretch of three months before narrowly missing the postseason. In fact, for my money, Florida’s season ending finish is as overlooked a story as any this past year.

On January 30, the Panthers were three games below .500, having just lost their third in a row overall to the Washington Capitals. That was 47 games in. Those final 35 games? They ended with a record of 25-8-2 and 14 games OVER .500. That included multiple wins over Boston, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Washington, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Nashville.

Even better news? The entire core is returning and Florida will have plenty of cap space to add to it if it chooses. This is without a doubt a team to watch come October. There’s no guarantee it repeats that three-month success, but we also aren’t talking a five or six game run. Had it been playing that well the entirety of the year, the Panthers would have been competing for the President’s Trophy.

Next: 5 current NHL playoff teams poised to miss out in 2018-19

Bookmark the FanSided NHL hub for continuous offseason coverage, including the NHL Draft and free agency.

Home/NHL Playoffs