A guide to which NHL wild card teams to root for this spring

Western Conference

Nashville Predators

There’s no doubting that it’s been a roller-coaster season for the Nashville Predators. The Music City has been a legitimate Stanley Cup threat the past handful of seasons, and the expectation was no different entering the 2019-20 campaign.

After a bumpy start to the season, Nashville relieved Peter Laviolette of the head coach’s role and replaced the Stanley Cup champion with former New Jersey Devils coach John Hynes.

One of the team’s biggest assets in goaltender Pekka Rinne has also struggled this season, but the Predators have managed to stay afloat and are just two points out of a wild card position. Nashville’s roster entails some exciting players that are easy to root for such as Rinne, Roman Rosi, Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg.

Similar to the Islanders, watching games take place at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville has an electric energy to it. While most might find it hard to believe that the Music City entails professional hockey, Nashville quickly transformed into one of the best hockey markets in the United States.

Let’s not forget that Nashville has never won a Stanley Cup since its inception back in 1998-99, and only has one Stanley Cup Final appearance when the Predators lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016-17. The Predators offer an intriguing story to follow on the ice, but a fun city such as Nashville would thrive in another Stanley Cup Final — while attracting sports fans to join its dedicated army.

Arizona Coyotes

Yes, the state of Arizona has an NHL team.

No, the Arizona Coyotes have never won a Stanley Cup.

The Desert Dogs haven’t clinched a playoff berth since 2011-12, but there’s reason to root for the ‘Yotes this spring. The common theme for this post is “let’s root for the underdogs” but Arizona offers some fun personalities with its roster.

The Coyotes acquired Phil Kessel over the offseason, and the goal-scorer is quite the character that always produces fun headlines with the media. Even if someone isn’t a hockey fan — they’ll be entertained by Kessel’s actions and quotes off the ice.

Let’s not forget that the team traded for the 2018 Hart Memorial Trophy winner in Taylor Hall, who’s only been in the playoffs once since being drafted in 2010. Chances are it would be intriguing to root for one of hockey’s brightest stars to at least find some sort of success in the postseason, while skating for a team that’s only advanced to the Western Conference Final once since its inception in 1996-97.

Perhaps Arizona would wear its classic Kachina sweaters for all home games in the playoffs too.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks have been one of the biggest surprises this season in the NHL. A rebuilding Vancouver squad was expected to exit the basement for the Conference standings in 2019-20 but not bid for a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Most fans can likely recall how Vancouver celebrated and reacted to its 2010-11 Stanley Cup Final run. If the Canucks clinched a playoff berth this spring, then antics could be even more entertaining and even crazier.

If the playoffs started on March 5, then Vancouver would open the first round against the Vegas Golden Knights. While the odds are against the Canucks to defeat Vegas, everybody loves a good upset — even Sin City.

Let’s not forget the Canucks would play either the Edmonton Oilers or Calgary Flames in the second round if they advanced. There’s not much better than a heated hockey rivalry in Western Canada. That type of matchup entails all of the sport’s beauty — even fighting.

The Canucks are bound to become a Stanley Cup contender again with future stars such as Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes — so hop on the bandwagon now while you still can.

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