The first round of the playoffs is always the most exciting and I must say, it’s been hard to watch the first few days of action knowing we have to wait until Wednesday for things to get going in Canada.
Still, the days before the first round are usually when a fan base is its most optimistic and excited. So with that in mind, I reached out to a reporter or writer from each Canadian city in the playoffs and had them make their case for the team they cover to come out of the North Division.
I framed the question like this: *insert team* will win the North if __________?
Here’s what I got:
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
For some help on The Leafs, I reached out to Jon Steitzer from The LeafsNation. Here’s what he had to say:
“The Leafs will come out of the North Division as long as they don’t fall asleep at the wheel. There doesn’t seem to be a team in the North that really measures up to the Leafs, despite Connor McDavid being the best player in hockey. If the Leafs lose it will be from their own underwhelming effort rather than being outplayed. When the Leafs were on their losing streak at best you could say they ran into a hot goaltender, but for the most part, it was just half-assed efforts and predictable zone entries that did them in.”
The Leafs are obviously the favourite to come out of the division, but as Jon talked about in the last article I put together, they also have flaws just like every other Canadian team. Still, they have the best chance of coming out of the division and I totally understand Jon saying that if they don’t make the final four, it will be mainly their own doing.
EDMONTON OILERS
For the Oilers, I obviously figured I could handle this myself.
“The Oilers can get out of the North if they Mike Smith can give them the same level of goaltending that he gave them during the regular season. If he is only giving up 2-3 goals per game, the Oilers big guns will be able to put up enough offence for them to win four out of seven games against any team in this division. If the defence gets leaky, and Mike Smith takes a step back, then I’m not sure if the Oilers can outscore their problems enough to make it out of the North.”
I know McDavid and Draisaitl are their two best players and it does feel weird writing this, but Mike Smith might be their most important player come playoff time. What a world we live in.
WINNIPEG JETS
For the Jets perspective here, I talked to Angus Hout from JetsNation! Here’s his take on how the Jets can get out of the North:
“If the Jets come out of the North it will be because the forwards stay healthy. We saw last year when Scheifele was hurt during the play-in round the team couldn’t handle the loss and their lack of depth has and will continue to hurt the Jets. That being said if the Jets are healthy and teams don’t take them seriously because they went 2-8 before the playoffs began they could seriously be the dark horse that goes and comes out of the division.”
The Jets will need their top six to be healthy and productive, I would throw Nik Ehlers into that conversation alongside Mark Schiefele as well. They’ll also likely need a strong showing from Connor Hellebuyck in round one. If they can get good production from their big guns and Hellebucyk steals them a game or two, then they could be a darkhorse to go deep.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
To help me with the Habs, I reached out to Tony Marinaro, who is a host on TSN 690 in Montreal. Here’s what Tony had to say:
“The Habs will come out of the North if everyone gets healthy and returns for the playoffs. And, if Carey Price, is dialed in.”
This makes sense. Carey Price showed last summer in the bubble that he is more than capable of stealing a series against a high-powered offence. He allowed just seven goals in four games in their qualifying round series. They’ll need him to be exceptional if they want to get past Auston Matthews and the Leafs. Health is a big thing for everyone involved but the Habs had a long list of injuries down the stretch and they’ll also need the likes of Brendan Gallagher and Shea Weber to not just be in the lineup, but be playing at 100% in round one.
THE RECAP
Jan 24, 2021; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto (56) is congratulated by Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) on his goal against the Winnipeg Jets during the third period at Bell MTS Place. Mandatory Credit: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports
I know this is an Oilers website, but it’s still fun to take a quick look into what other fan bases are thinking as we begin the playoffs. The Stanley Cup Playoffs, especially the first round, are wildly unpredictable and every year there is one team that goes WAY deeper than most people expected.
Could that be either the Jets or Canadiens? Potentially, but I would still bet on either the Oilers or Leafs coming out of the North as most people would. Goaltending will obviously go a long way in determining things, but I also think special teams will too. If one of these teams gets their powerplay to start running at an insane level, then they could go a long way. Looking at these four teams, every single one of them has the potential to get a red-hot powerplay and out-of-this-world performances from their goaltenders. That makes this division incredibly interesting.
What’s your take? If you checked out my previous article about each team’s biggest weakness, then give me your take on how the North will shakedown!
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