Strangelove wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2020 1:20 pm
Micky wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2020 12:14 am
Let's define contender
This.
UWSaint wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2020 8:42 am
Point is, *any* team making the playoffs in the west this season is a contender.
See, that's not how I define "Cup Contender".
To me Cup Contenders are the
5 or 6 teams most likely to realistically win the Cup.
Canucks are not that, not yet at least.
Canucks are tied for 6th in the standings, I think that's about right, no?
I put them a notch below Blues, Avs, Bruins, Lightning, Capitals, and about equal with Pittsburgh. The good news is, Canucks wouldn't have to face any of those teams until the WCF.
But then, you have to consider that the top-8 "contenders" were all eliminated in the 1st round last year, so does that definition really matter?
I'm attracted to defining it on likelihood of reaching SCF, but there's been so many instances of "unworthy" teams making the finals on Cinderalla runs - and two of them (LA and St Louis) had the audacity to win the damn thing!
I think the Canucks may get a boost to "contender status" through having an easier path to the 3rd round.