Ice Insiders

Breaking The Ice For Hockey Fans

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While we wait for the trade deadline (coming Monday, if you haven’t been paying attention) I figured now would be a good time to see which teams are in the hunt. Almost every team is going to be making a move between now and Monday, but the bigger moves will likely belong to the teams that are in the picture already and are just fighting for seeding. Here are the matchups that we would see in the first round in the east:

New York Rangers vs Toronto – The Maple Leafs would finally answer a nations prayers, returning to the playoffs for the first time since the lockout, facing another Original 6 team.

Boston vs Ottawa – The Senators are one of my favorite dark horses this year, but the Bruins know how to win in the playoffs.

Florida vs Pittsburgh – Two ravenous fan bases! (or not). I like seeing unique teams in the playoffs, and the Panthers certainly fit that mold.

New Jersey vs Philadelphia – With the fiscal issues they are experiencing in Newark, and the offseason sell off in Philly, this is something of a surprise engagement.

And in the west, the following teams would go head to head:

Detroit vs Los Angeles - The Kings would only have a problem during the 4 road games, right?

Vancouver vs Phoenix – The Coyotes would make the post season for the second consecutive season. What would happen if they won the Cup?

San Jose vs Chicago – For me, anyways, this is the top pairing of the first hypothetical round.

St. Louis vs Nashville – The central is strong this season, and if four teams make the post season, there isn’t much you can say to debate that point

And hey, no Minnesota! What an embarrassing collapse for the Wild. And before I wrap it up, here are the potential first round pairings if the NHL had been realigned this year to the proposed alignment:

New York vs Pittsburgh, New Jersey vs Philadelphia

Boston vs Toronto, Ottawa vs Florida

Detroit vs Chicago, St. Louis vs Nashville

Vancouver vs Los Angeles, San Jose vs Phoenix

The same 16 teams. No complaints, right? Only 4 more days until Deadline Day!

Ice Insiders Chris Berry Interactive Chris Berry Interactive