As predicted Utah and Anaheim have moved into the post season realm, they are legit, and here to stay with many more good prospects stewing in the pipeline. The youth movement has come full circle both young, both deep in all areas. Dallas, Colorado, Winnipeg, Vegas and Edmonton are post season guarantees, that leaves the final post season seating for L.A., Seattle and a few others to scrap it out, including Vancouver the poster child of the mushy middle - neither bad enough to get better through drafting top end elite talent, neither good enough to advance past the first round.
Chef Boi RD wrote: ↑Wed Nov 05, 2025 6:24 am
As predicted Utah and Anaheim have moved into the post season realm, they are legit, and here to stay with many more good prospects stewing in the pipeline. The youth movement has come full circle both young, both deep in all areas. Dallas, Colorado, Winnipeg, Vegas and Edmonton are post season guarantees, that leaves the final post season seating for L.A., Seattle and a few others to scrap it out, including Vancouver the poster child of the mushy middle - neither bad enough to get better through drafting top end elite talent, neither good enough to advance past the first round.
Moved into the post-season realm (Utah and Anaheim)? Do you mean they are part of the group that should be able to compete for a playoff spot or that they will presumptively have spots and that when combined with the other "locks" there is one spot remaining in the west. If the latter, it is far too early in the season to make that pronouncement (IMO). As for the former, I buy that. Utah was there last year and Anaheim at the very least seems on its way to building up a slight cushion so that they may be able to survive the inevitable bumpy bits and still be holding on to a spot or within striking range with another rally.
As for locks being locks, while I expect all five of those teams will be in the playoffs, I don't think its a sure thing. Locks from previous seasons often stop being locks the next season before it is widely predicted that will happen. (Consider the fall of the President's Trophy New York Rangers last year). We are used to slow starts in Edmonton, and so I think we all expect them to turn it on -- but the facts are (1) this year's roster is worse; (2) they haven't addressed their biggest problems. By signaling out Edmonton I'm not making a prediction, but let's just say it wouldn't surprise me if we get to the ASB this year and at least one of those "locks" is still hanging on by its fingernails. There are enough teams in the bottom half of the conference who seem improved and teams in the top half of the conference that have not improved (and in some cases getting worse) that I think we are going to see a season with more than one surprise.
