The Calgary Flames have missed the postseason as many times as they have made it in since their 2004 Cup run. More recently it has been six times in the last ten seasons where they have not made it, and now the Flames enter ’21-’22 off a notable offseason.
Littered with young offensive firepower, the Florida Panthers finished second in the Central Division a year ago. Winners of 37 games during the NHL’s COVID-19 shortened season, they finished inside the league’s top five in goals for, scoring 189.
The Pittsburgh Penguins finished first in their division last season. However, they sadly lost to the New York Islanders in the first round.
Coming off a wild journey that ended in a postseason defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, the Dallas Stars were eager to get back to the playoffs in 2020-2021. Instead, Dallas did anything but that, finishing fifth in a newly-aligned Central Division with a 23-19-14 record.
The Colorado Avalanche are entering the first of two huge years. Their championship window is wide open and have a core that looks to be championship caliber. With a foundation this good also comes important contract decisions.
The New York Islanders qualified for the playoffs for the third straight season in 2020-2021. Sneaking in after finishing in fourth place in the East Division, the team won 32 games during the NHL’s shortened 56 game season.
A team that was in the playoff mix until the end in the West Division, the season did not go according to plan for the Arizona Coyotes.
One of the most disappointing teams this past season, the Calgary Flames settled for fifth in the North Division.
The hockey season is almost over, with the Stanley Cup semifinals kicking off. Just four teams remain: The Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights. That leaves 28 fanbases to just sit back and watch.
Expectations were high for the Dallas Stars after surprising everyone last season with their run to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the team ran into a Coivid-19 outbreak at the start of the season, and more games ended up being rescheduled due to ice storms.
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