ONE OF THE most insightful statements about Bill Belichick was made in mid-September of last year. But it wasn’t made by Belichick himself, even though he spent the football season all over airwaves and podcasts. It wasn’t made by Michael Lombardi, his longtime friend, colleague and chief public defender. It wasn’t about the New England Patriots. In fact, it didn’t even mention Belichick by name. But it was still about him.

The comments were made by Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield. He told the “Casa de Klub” podcast that when Tom Brady quarterbacked the Bucs, it was a “high-strung environment.”

“I think everybody was pretty stressed out,” Mayfield said. “They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football, for guys who weren’t having as much fun.”

Fun.

To those who know, that was an ironic word choice. What Tom Brady had once privately said about Bill Belichick — and was part of the reason why he decided to leave New England — was now being said about him. And that said something about them both.

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ON MAY 6, Bill Belichick’s first book, “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football,” will be released. He is the rare coaching legend who wrote a book neither after winning a championship nor after retirement, but after he was fired. (Sorry — when he and the Patriots “mutually agreed to part ways.”) He was in a strange space during most of 2024: 72 years old, without a job in football for the first time in 50 years and unsure of where he would land. Between Brady winning a Super Bowl in Tampa, a few subpar drafts, three losing seasons in his final four years in New England, and “The Dynasty” docuseries, a pervasive narrative on Belichick had taken hold — that he struggles to connect with people, especially players. That his methods, once revolutionary, are now antiquated.

Brady, of course, became an exemplar of that movement. In Tampa, he and Rob Gronkowski were proof that winning could be fun, so went the story. It was no surprise that Brady, Gronk and former Pats receiver Julian Edelman gave a resounding “no” when asked on air late last year whether they could picture Belichick — who turned “do your job” and “no days off” into rallying cries — coaching in college at North Carolina, where he ended up.

“I would be frightened,” Brady said.

“Could you imagine Bill on the couch recruiting an 18-year-old?” Edelman added.

Having listened to Belichick over the decades, interviewed him multiple times, written stories that flattered and irritated him, listened to other coaches discuss him, and authored a book mostly about him, I expected “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football” to be one of a few things. Maybe a modern version of Bill Walsh’s coaching-cult classic “Finding the Winning Edge,” which literally provided granular rundowns of what the former 49ers great told the team on the third day of training camp. Or, unlikely but plausible, a splashy tell-all, settling old scores. Or, perhaps, a business book for the Wharton crowd.

Instead, it’s about something more interesting and revealing. It’s largely a book about emotion. About emotional intelligence. About connection. About how a leader should treat people.

About, though not explicitly stated, Belichick’s famously perceived blind spots.

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WHY NOW?

That question frames the beginning of the book. Why would an economics major who is famous for making shrewd decisions give away secrets, in a ruthless sport in which he still traffics? The answer, in part, is due to his father.

In 1962, Steve Belichick wrote “Football Scouting Methods,” one of the most influential football books ever. Steve did it while he was still in the game. If father can, so can son. Bill feels in debt to the sport. “I hope that this book can give back some of what I have taken from football,” he writes.

This book lacks a lot of hardcore football, at least in terms of what we’ve come to expect from Belichick when he has shed light into his vast knowledge, legendary preparation and savvy creativity. He doesn’t dive deep into his theories about, say, long-snappers or nickel cornerbacks. He offers little fresh insight into some of his most epic moments, from “Butch the Back” in Super Bowl XXXVI to “Malcolm, go!” in Super Bowl XLIX.

A preseason game from 2004 receives a longer look than most of his championships. Some of his greatest hits from over the years, when it became clear that he was playing a fundamentally different game than his peers — the intentional safety against Denver in ’03, the 1-10 defensive alignment against Peyton Manning’s Colts, the record-setting offensive innovations from ’07, to name a few — are either not mentioned or barely noted.

That’s not to say, however, that there’s not football. It just lives beyond the chessboard.

It arrives in the form of passion: “There are players who put everything they have into the game because they can’t imagine doing anything else,” Belichick writes. “I’m like that. I don’t need coffee; I need more hours in the day.”

And in humor: “If somebody uses AI to summarize this book down to three essential words, I hope they are: Don’t. Commit. Penalties.”

And in admiration: Pages are filled with analysis and perspective and features on his favorite coaches, from Bill Parcells to Sean Payton to Andy Reid, and players, from Lawrence Taylor to Mark Bavaro to James White, to name a few.

There are chapters on how to motivate people. How to prepare, improve, how to move on, and how to handle success. How to balance long-term strategy against short-term necessities. But classic Belichick, he spends more time on his mistakes than his historic successes.

Certain mistakes, that is.

He doesn’t mention Spygate, but he does detail the decision-making process as to why he went for it on fourth-and-13 against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, a key moment in the game that ended an undefeated season. Why he opened the door for Brady to leave in 2020 is looped in with a slew of players unaffordable for salary cap reasons; why the Patriots loved but passed over Lamar Jackson in the 2018 draft is given some real estate. Insight into why Malcolm Butler was benched in Super Bowl LII is ignored; why Belichick erred in not activating a defensive lineman named Dan Klecko in Super Bowl XXXVIII is studied.

In explaining the wrong way to fire people, Belichick points to a pair of examples from himself: His releasing Bernie Kosar when he was the Cleveland Browns coach in 1993, and, years later, when he pink-slipped an unnamed Patriots player while he was in the pool at a team party. Indeed, Belichick dedicates most of a chapter to four words that he uttered often in staff meetings, exemplar of leadership, accountability, culture, and the power of admitting mistakes: “I f—ed that up.”

Non-football influences, from Jack Welch to Steve Jobs to hedge fund manager Ray Dalio, get shoutouts. So does Roger Goodell, for helping to make “the NFL a great league.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, Robert Kraft receives nary a mention.

But what has made Belichick successful, and fascinating, is that underneath that severed-sleeved hoodie is someone with a deep and diabolically genius understanding of the human condition. As he grew as a coach, from Baltimore to Detroit to Denver to the Giants to Cleveland to New England to the Jets and to the Patriots again, he has developed mechanisms and strategies to put coaches, quarterbacks and offenses under pressure, knowing that they’d likely revert to their most essential and predictable selves.

He knows that football is a people business. But for the most part, it’s been described in terms of how he smartly exploited an opponent’s ego or habits, from Mike Martz in Super Bowl XXXVI to John Harbaugh with the “Baltimore” and “Raven” formations, or how he ripped players, even superstars like Brady — especially Brady — in squad meetings.

In the book, he admits that at times, he was engaging in performance art. But if he could motivate a player to improve by pissing them off, so be it. If it made for a dour environment, that was an acceptable trade. If it wasn’t fun, tough.

Belichick goes to great lengths to let us know that he views players as more than nameplates, even if some of his former players might respectfully disagree, such as Lawyer Milloy and Drew Blesdoe, to name a few. He wants us to know that with players sacrificing their bodies and staff sacrificing family time, he takes his responsibilities seriously — to his core.

He does this in two distinct ways.

One, Belichick goes long on what it’s like to be fired. “Traumatic,” he writes, citing his Browns experience. A tireless work ethic, and deep awareness of the fragility of tomorrow, was instilled in him at a young age, when he learned about his grandparents’ immigration from Croatia. They worked “as hard as they could to put food on the table.”

Steve Belichick couldn’t afford to go to college, despite being a motivated and talented enough football player that he played at Case Western Reserve University and in the NFL. In college, Steve lived in a vacant room in a gym, “delivering ice, and doing other assorted jobs to make ends meet.” Bill Belichick became a wealthy coach, but he never forgot that emotional place. He pushed his football staffs to the brink in the pursuit of winning, but doing so provided a measure of stability for his coaches, scouts and their families in a ruthlessly unstable profession.

“During normal times,” he writes, “it’s easy enough to imagine that your job and your life are two distinct domains — family is family and work is work. But when you get fired, that distinction gets bulldozed. … All the basics and necessities of providing for a family and contributing to the future are suddenly less secure.”

Two, Belichick wants us to know that he has personally helped players and staff clear their minds to focus on the task at hand. An example: the Belichick Travel Agency. Whenever the Patriots reached the Super Bowl, Belichick spent the first two days after the conference championship game on logistics. Sorting out 1,600 game tickets, 300 hotel rooms, two full planes and whatever else. It’s a short story in the book, but a profound one.

For one thing, it’s amazing to imagine Belichick handling itineraries. For another, when Belichick was hired in New England, he pledged to delegate more after his Cleveland experience. This would seem like an obvious job to hand off. But no. It was not only important; it was important enough that he needed to handle it. “If I expect to be able to ask my slot receiver to play in a pinch at cornerback in front of a hundred million viewers on TV,” he writes, “I don’t get to ignore his request for a hotel room with a nice view.”

A book authored by Belichick is a statement as much as a story. Throughout his career, he has always tried to take the long view. There’s a reason why one of the largest collections of football books outside of the Library of Congress is on the Naval Academy’s campus and bears his family name. But Belichick has always taken the immediate view, too. He works, and works, and works, refusing to let up.

“Getting used to winning,” he writes, “is the quickest way for it to stop.”

Is that mindset healthy? Is it balanced? Is it — whisper this around Belichick — fun?

“The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football” is intended for a mass audience. But at its core, Belichick is writing for a subset of a subset of a subset of football minds, the truly and spectacularly obsessed. They will find virtue in it, and in Belichick himself, even if they don’t like him — even if they have wondered, as many owners, GMs, and coaches have, if his system works when he’s not at the head of the table. Belichick writes that his program is “not for everyone. Neither am I. But to get to the top, and stay there, is close to impossibly hard.”

Towards the end of the book, Belichick ponders his view of himself and maybe self-worth. “Has every year that I’ve failed to win a Super Bowl been a failure? Big picture? Maybe not.

“But I live in my picture.”

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TOM BRADY LIVES in his picture, too. And after Mayfield’s comments, he responded on air.

He chose not to give the context. In 2020, Brady left New England — left Belichick — because the winning was less artistic than intolerable. He recently wrote that a “natural tension” had developed between him and Belichick — “the kind of tension that could only be resolved by some kind of split or one of us reassessing our priorities.” Brady chose Tampa, with its warm weather and warmer team culture, led by a coach, Bruce Arians, who unapologetically championed a vision beyond wins and losses, with cigars and cocktails.

When the season started, it became clear that Brady’s new team wasn’t as buttoned up as his previous one, wasn’t as accountable as his previous one, and wasn’t winning as much as his previous one. Sunshine be damned, that didn’t fly with Brady.

He didn’t miss Belichick, but it was clear that he missed elements of the football world in which he had been raised. It was up to Brady to take what he had learned, adapt it for situation and self, and apply it in his own way. Imagine what forms that might have taken, beyond the mind games that Mayfield detailed on the podcast, of Brady intentionally ignoring or throwing inaccurate passes to send receivers a message. His standards, like his former coach’s, are impossible — until they’re not, of course, and teammates reach a level of play even they didn’t think they could achieve.

“I thought ‘stressful’ was not having Super Bowl rings,” Brady said on air during the Bucs-Eagles game last season. “So, there was a mindset of a champion that I took to work every day. This wasn’t daycare. If I wanted to have fun, I was going to go to Disneyland with my kids.”

It was pure Belichick, and could have been straight out of “The Art of Winning.”

And Mayfield? He played well in 2024, and had some fun — until his season ended, with a first-round playoff loss at home.

The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are here! Unlike in some recent years, the bracket was known a few days in advance, as the Montreal Canadiens clinched the final spot — and a first-round matchup against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Meanwhile, the Atlantic Division lined up for the Battle of Ontario (Toronto Maple Leafs–Ottawa Senators) and Battle of Florida (Tampa Bay Lightning–Florida Panthers).

In the West, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets open against the resurgent St. Louis Blues, while Mikko Rantanen and the Dallas Stars face his former team, the Colorado Avalanche. And for the fourth straight postseason, the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers square off in Round 1.

We’ve got all the angles covered to get you ready for the playoffs as ESPN hockey reporters Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton take a look at each of the 16 postseason teams, offering the reasons each team could win it all, along with the biggest X factor, players to watch and a bold prediction for every team.

Note: Profiles for the Atlantic and Metropolitan playoff brackets were written by Shilton, while Clark analyzed the Central and Pacific clubs. Also note that wild-card teams are listed according to the playoff bracket in which they’re playing (so the Canadiens are in the Metro, and the Minnesota Wild are in the Pacific).

Stats are collected from sites such as Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey.

Full schedule
Bracket, schedule
Contender flaws

Atlantic Division

Record: 51-26-4, 106 points
First-round opponent: Senators

Case for a Stanley Cup run: If not now … when? The Maple Leafs are arguably the deepest, most complete team they’ve been in the Core Four (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander) era. First-year coach Craig Berube’s north-south style took some getting used to, but the Leafs have thrived in it. Toronto is top 10 in league scoring without being top-heavy. The stars (especially Marner and Tavares) are pumping in goals, but the Leafs get solid contributions throughout the lineup.

Defensively, Toronto has buckled down, allowing fewer than three goals per game and their top-four rotation is stronger than ever. And the Leafs’ goaltending? Locked in, with Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll both pulling their weight as a tandem of No. 1s with a collective .916 save percentage.

X factor: The Leafs have serious postseason demons to overcome. How much does Toronto’s history of first-round failure hang over the team going into another playoffs? The Leafs have basically been through it all the past decade — they’ve earned series leads and blown them, come back from the brink (and still fallen short) and experienced every high and low in between.

The belief that Toronto can not only get through one round, but many rounds, has to start with the players. And for some reason, that swaggering confidence the Leafs have in the regular season dies out like a candle in the wind by playoffs. How Toronto manages its emotions and allows this season to be its own adventure — without influence from past failings — could determine just how many days or weeks this postseason lasts.

Player to watch: Marner. The Leafs’ top winger has had a sensational regular season, pacing his club with 26 goals and 99 points. Marner must translate that success to the postseason and in a timely fashion. Marner has 11 goals and 50 points in 58 postseason tilts to date, but what’s often been lacking are timely contributions, those big-time plays at critical moments. The Leafs have seen opportunity slip away when their best players like Marner (and Matthews) can’t produce. This is a contract year for Marner, too. An impactful playoff performance could add some serious dollars onto his next deal.

Bold prediction: The Leafs sweep their way to a first-round series win and don’t look back. Toronto bullies the competition en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance.

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Record: 47-26-8, 102 points
First-round opponent: Panthers

Case for a Stanley Cup run: It’s easy to cite Tampa Bay’s recent success as the reason it could add another banner to the rafters. But this Lightning team is built differently. Tampa Bay is not just relying on its elite goal scorers (ahem, Nikita Kucherov) to carry the day. The Lightning are well established defensively, and that’s been a driver of their success the second half of this season. Since Feb. 1, Tampa has allowed the sixth-fewest goals in the league (2.40), with an impressive top-10 penalty kill (80.3%).

Andrei Vasilevskiy has been terrific in the crease, collecting the second-most wins among league starters (37) with a .921 save percentage and 2.20 goals-against average. Oh, and Kucherov? He only leads the league in scoring with 37 goals and 121 points. With Jon Cooper — fresh off guiding Canada to victory at the 4 Nations Face-Off — managing this lineup, the sky’s the limit for Tampa Bay.

X factor: The Lightning have enviable scoring talent in Kucherov, Jake Guentzel (40 goals), Brayden Point (41 goals) and Brandon Hagel (35). But does Tampa have the depth to compete when offense is at a premium? In the past it’s been unsung heroes like Nick Paul who come through when the Lightning’s best skaters are neutralized.

This season, most of Tampa Bay’s output is coming from a handful of exceptional players. The Lightning’s ability to tap into the power of their bottom six will be critical. That doesn’t negate how strong Tampa Bay’s defense has been or the benefit in having Vasilevskiy back there guarding the cage. It’s just a reality in the postseason that star contributions dwindle and have to be supplemented from somewhere else.

Player to watch: Victor Hedman. The Lightning’s top blueliner took over his team’s captaincy when Steven Stamkos left in free agency. Keeping Tampa Bay even-keeled in the postseason will fall on him. Hedman plays more than 23 minutes per game in every situation and it often feels like where he goes, the Lightning follow. Setting that example again and ensuring Tampa Bay doesn’t lose track of its freshly ingrained defensive mindset will give the Lightning their best chance of a long spring.

Bold prediction: Tampa Bay’s scoring stars are silenced early in the first round. Every game is decided by a single goal and ultimately the Lightning fall in six to face a swift summer break.

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Record: 47-31-4, 98 points
First-round opponent: Lightning

Case for a Stanley Cup run: Who wants to bet against the reigning Stanley Cup champions? Especially when it’s a Florida team that reached the final the year before finally earning the franchise’s first title.

The Panthers are seasoned winners. They know what it takes to navigate the physical and emotional toll of a long playoff run. That’s not easy. But Florida’s potential to repeat goes beyond what they’ve shown in the past. This season’s Panthers are stingy (giving up just 2.72 goals per game), striking (particularly with their 12th-ranked power play) and seemingly deep as ever (with five 20-plus goal scorers). Considering Florida will also have Aaron Ekblad back from a 20-game suspension and Matthew Tkachuk returning from injury by the postseason? Watch out.

X factor: Will fatigue become a factor for Florida after two straight short summers? The Panthers did weather some injury issues down the stretch of this season, but their record over the past month (at just 10-10-1) and downturn in scoring production (32nd with only 2.19 goals per game) suggests the Panthers could be feeling the effects of limited downtime. They wouldn’t be the first champions to go through it, either. What will play a role in Florida’s success — or failure — is how it manages the inevitable wear and tear of this season with any lingering weariness.

Player to watch: Seth Jones. The Panthers won’t have Ekblad back until Game 3 of their first-round series. That puts additional pressure on Jones — along with the Panthers’ entire back end — to keep stepping up in his absence. Jones has already taken on a larger role than Florida likely anticipated when trading for him because of Ekblad’s suspension; he paces the team in ice time at nearly 25 minutes per game. But Jones is short on postseason experience — he hasn’t skated in the playoffs since 2020 — and he will be counted upon to have a significant impact from the back end. Florida will find out fast if he’s up to the task.

Bold prediction: The Panthers rely on physicality and defensive effort to get past the first round, but without enough scoring, they’re swept out of the second round into an early offseason.

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Record: 44-30-7, 95 points
First-round opponent: Maple Leafs

Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Senators have been underrated for too much of this season. It’s in the playoffs that they can prove why. Ottawa’s defense is vastly improved — allowing just 2.80 goals per game — and it gives up fewer than 30 shots per game. First-year starter Linus Ullmark has been sensational for the Senators in net (with a .911 SV% and 2.67 GAA) and deserves ample credit for where Ottawa is, but it’s the full team buy-in that’s made a true difference.

The Senators are stacked with scoring talents — headlined by Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk — and deep on the back end, where a terrific Jake Sanderson is having his own unheralded campaign. The Senators have endured enough frustration in recent seasons to be slightly hardened, too. There’s a belief that this is their moment and the time has come to show it.

X factor: How will Ottawa leverage its special teams in the playoffs, especially in the first round? The Senators have a solid power play (23.5%) and decent penalty kill (77.9%). Will they make the most of those units? This is the first postseason experience for all of Ottawa’s most important skaters, and it would be natural to try to do too much to have an impact.

The Senators know (logically) to avoid that going in. Easier said than done. Even-strength scoring dries up quickly in the postseason. Ottawa’s key openings could be with the extra man — and its power play has been particularly good in recent weeks (compared to their first-round opponent’s penalty kill, which has not). The Senators must own the special teams battle as best they can.

Player to watch: Tkachuk. The captain has been sidelined since March 30 with an upper-body injury, but he is expected to be back at full strength for the postseason. Will that be the case? It’s tough enough stepping back in from an ailment at any time of year; rust is inevitable after sitting out 11 games. But the Senators need Tkachuk’s contributions out of the gate to match up with the star power Toronto will wield. Tkachuk led the Senators with 29 goals this season and he’s the spark plug on their power play. No doubt all eyes in Canada’s capital will be watching to see if Tkachuk’s injury will impact what he can do straight away.

Bold prediction: Ottawa gives its all in the first round, but an avalanche of rookie mistakes provew too costly to overcome. The Senators can’t score when it counts and are swept from the first round.

Metropolitan Division

Record: 51-21-9, 111 points
First-round opponent: Canadiens

Case for a Stanley Cup run: Washington was the first team this season to clinch a playoff spot. And the Capitals could easily be the last one standing, too. They’re dynamic offensively (averaging the second most goals in the league), play a tight defensive game (giving up fewer than three goals per night), have a lights-out goaltender in Logan Thompson (owner of a .910 SV% and 2.49 GAA) and have the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin hanging out in his office. What more could the Capitals possibly need to push their way toward a championship?

Spencer Carbery has rightfully earned Jack Adams chatter for the way he’s built this Washington team into a true contender. There aren’t many flaws to pick at when you’ve shown the type of consistency this crew has. Washington’s skids have been few and far between, and it has rarely lost two in a row. That regular-season success should segue nicely into what’s next.

X factor: It’s true Washington has a reliable No. 1 in Thompson — but he may not be available to start the postseason while rehabbing an upper-body injury. The Capitals have leaned on Charlie Lindgren in Thompson’s stead and project to keep doing so until Thompson is healthy.

Will Lindgren be able to stand tall early in the first round? Lindgren (.896 SV%, 2.73 GAA) hasn’t produced the same numbers as Thompson (.910 SV%, 2.49 GAA). Suddenly, goaltending becomes a serious potential roadblock for Washington. If the Capitals want to see their season extended for weeks — and not days — they’ll have to support Lindgren even more than they would Thompson with a defense-first mindset. Because even with the likes of Ovechkin up front, it’s nearly impossible to outscore your own defensive woes come the playoffs.

Player to watch: Tom Wilson. There’s something about Wilson and the postseason. He’s always been the Capitals’ heavy, but there’s an extra pep in Wilson’s step when the playoffs roll around. He’s going to make the other team uncomfortable, getting under guys’ skin and generally causing the sort of chaos that can throw things off. Washington needs that energy. The Capitals have plenty of finesse elsewhere, and while Wilson can score with the best of them — he has 33 goals this season, after all — it’s the extra punch (sometimes literally) Wilson can provide that makes him a standout this time of year.

Bold prediction: Washington’s offense is slowed in the first round when Ovechkin fails to score a single goal. Its heated second-round series ends in frustration when Washington’s defense can’t hold up and it is sent packing.

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Record: 47-29-5, 99 points
First-round opponent: Devils

Case for a Stanley Cup run: Carolina has its identity and sticks to it. The Hurricanes are a perennial contender because they’re elite at 5-on-5, consistently stifle their opponents (by allowing the fewest shots in the league), while simultaneously making the competition uncomfortable (by peppering in the second-most shots on goal this season). Carolina has improved its play off the rush and remains as stout as ever on defense. It has received strong goaltending from Frederik Andersen (.907 SV%, 2.29 GAA) and has the league’s best penalty kill.

It has been Carolina’s defensive details that set it apart, and those are never more valuable than in the playoffs. The Hurricanes have also leaned on a breakout offensive performance from Seth Jarvis. (He has a team-leading 32 goals.) Carolina has done the work to set itself up for success.

X factor: Is Carolina deep enough to actually go deep in the playoffs? The Hurricanes do an excellent job offensively of generating opportunities, but too often aren’t cashing in on them from enough players throughout the lineup. If Carolina can rely only on Jarvis and Sebastian Aho to consistently light the lamp then they become an easier team to pick off (especially considering their power play is 26th in the league, at 18.6%).

And what about the goaltending depth? Andersen has been good since coming back from injury, but his young partner Pyotr Kochetkov has struggled (.898 SV%, 2.59 GAA). Andersen is always at risk of getting hurt and Carolina would be in lesser hands with Kochetkov taking over the crease. How the Hurricanes respond to potential adversities — and who can fill in the gaps — is key.

Player to watch: Logan Stankoven. Carolina may not have Mikko Rantanen anymore, but it does have a player who came on board when Rantanen was traded to Dallas. Stankoven, a rookie, has been an impressive fit for the Hurricanes, with five goals and eight points in 17 games. And it feels like he’s hitting a stride at the right time. Stankoven can create chances for himself and teammates with an underrated playmaking ability and he’s an energy guy, too. That can go a long way in the close, tense games that Carolina projects to find itself in soon enough.

Bold prediction: Despite Carolina’s decided edge in the first round, it falters too many times to recover. The Hurricanes fail to advance for the first time since 2020 and for just the second time under coach Rod Brind’Amour.

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Record: 42-33-7, 91 points
First-round opponent: Hurricanes

Case for a Stanley Cup run: New Jersey has the ingredients to be a surprise success story in the postseason. The Devils’ special teams are among the league’s best, with a third-ranked power play (28%) and second-ranked penalty kill (82.4%). New Jersey is tough to crack all around though, allowing the fifth-fewest goals this season (2.65) and sixth-fewest shots (26.3).

The Devils’ solid goalie tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen should leave them feeling confident that whoever is back there will be steering enough pucks aside. And if New Jersey can make life hard on the opponent and wear them down with a strong defensive effort, then it will take some of the sting out of not having top scorer Jack Hughes available due to injury.

X factor: All of that said, Hughes isn’t easily replaceable (as we’ve seen in New Jersey’s struggles since Hughes underwent surgery in March). The Devils are 30th in 5-on-5 scoring without Hughes, and replacing his contributions in the playoffs is critical to how far they can advance. Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt are averaging over a point per game following Hughes’ departure, and having Dougie Hamilton back for the playoffs should help generate more scoring opportunities from the back end.

The first round will pit New Jersey against a sturdy defensive club in Carolina. It’ll take all the firepower these Devils can muster to make up for Hughes’ absence and every single opportunity to use that vaunted power play can’t be taken for granted.

Player to watch: Hischier. It’s easy for Hischier to fly under the radar when Hughes is around. Now, consider Hischier in the spotlight. His ability as a two-way center will carry the Devils’ top-heavy attack, but Hischier will also have a target on his back. Ultimately, slowing him down will make New Jersey that much more one-dimensional. How Hischier handles the hurricane ahead will decide whether the Devils sink or swim.

Bold prediction: New Jersey plays fast and loose and it pays off against a stiff Carolina team in the first round. The Devils glide through the second round as one of the playoffs’ best offensive teams and wind up another Cinderella story (this time, playoff edition).

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Record: 40-31-11, 91 points
First-round opponent: Capitals

Case for a Stanley Cup run: Montreal found its mojo at the right moment. Who would have thought as the Canadiens endured a five-game slide through the end of March that they’d follow it up with six straight wins to put a playoff berth back on the table?

The postseason is all about momentum and confidence. The Canadiens may have needed a few extra games to ultimately secure their spot but what does Montreal have to lose, really? While other clubs are saddled with pressure to win now, the Canadiens can truly be happy just having their seat at the party. And that’s a good thing.

Montreal stepped up in the second half of this season, averaging over three goals per game since late February while allowing fewer than three across the line. Nick Suzuki has averaged over a point per game, and Cole Caufield has collected an impressive 37 goals. Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson is having a Calder Trophy-worthy season, and the Canadiens have continuously shown they have sound depth. Montreal has made it this far. There’s reason to believe it can keep the good times rolling.

X factor: The Canadiens will be taking on a high-flying Washington team out of the gate. Can Montreal’s goaltending keep things from getting out of hand? Sam Montembeault was great during that five-game stretch to put the Canadiens in playoff position, and he, like the rest of the team, was better in the season’s second half. Now, Montreal just needs Montembeault to hold the Capitals’ elite offense at bay long enough for the Canadiens’ own snipers to get on the board. Montembeault has carried a heavy load already for Montreal this year (with 60 starts) and his stats are good (.901 SV% and 2.83 GAA). The Canadiens will need greatness from their goaltenders if they expect to move on.

Player to watch: Ivan Demidov. Name the last player who arrived in Montreal to Demidov-level fanfare? (We’ll wait). Turns out, though, the hype was real. Demidov stepped into his first NHL game last week and was on the scoresheet with a goal and an assist. Montreal may have lost that night to Chicago, but Demidov was an undeniable boost for the group as they searched for that eventual clinching victory. And considering how unfazed Demidov appears at the NHL level, it’ll be fascinating to see what he can provide for Montreal in the postseason.

Bold prediction: Montreal takes Game 1 to win their first playoff game in four years and put some doubt into the Capitals. The Canadiens hold off Ovechkin the entire way in a six-game series they eventually lose.

Central Division

Record: 56-2-4, 116 points
First-round opponent: Blues

Case for a Stanley Cup run: Few teams are as complete as the Jets have been this season, one in which they won the Presidents’ Trophy for the league’s best record. They took a step forward in their evolution in the first season under Scott Arniel, who was an associate coach with the Jets for the past two campaigns.

They get consistent offensive contributions from their forward lines, while also getting scoring from defensemen. Their defensive structure is among the best in the league at limiting scoring chances, while they have what might be a future Hall of Famer in Connor Hellebuyck in net.

X factor: Can their regular-season continuity translate to playoff success? This is, once again, the biggest question facing the Jets heading into the postseason. They won 52 games last season, faced the Avalanche in the first round — and were eliminated in five games for a second consecutive postseason.

Fast forward to this year. They’ve won more than 50 games for a second straight season, while having personnel who look as if they can be trusted in every situation. Does it lead to them getting out of the first round? Or will it be a third straight early exit?

Player to watch: Hellebuyck. He’s in line to win a second consecutive Vezina Trophy, which would be his third overall. That would place Hellebuyck among Hall of Famers Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek and Patrick Roy. But any time there’s a discussion about Hellebuyck’s status among all-time greats, it includes his relative lack of success in the postseason. That came up last season, when he had a personal-low .870 save percentage in the Jets’ five-game series loss. On the whole, he’s 18-27 with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in his postseason career. Is this the year he turns it around?

Bold prediction: Gabriel Vilardi, who has only two goals in 12 career playoff games, will lead the Jets in goals this postseason.

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Record: 50-26-6, 106 points
First-round opponent: Avalanche

Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Stars are certainly in a championship window, having advanced to three Western Conference finals in the past five years. But there’s more to it than that. The core of those teams remains in place. They’ve found ways to add to that core, and newcomers assimilate quickly.

Despite already having one of the most talented teams in the NHL, the Stars traded for one of the game’s best players in Mikko Rantanen, who has won a Stanley Cup. Adding Rantanen only heightens the expectations this could be the year for the Stars.

X factor: Can they be stopped in a Game 7? You may have heard that Stars coach Peter DeBoer is quite adept at Game 7s. His teams are 8-0, which is not only the best all-time record for Game 7s in NHL history, but it’s the best mark of any coach in North American men’s pro sports history.

While he’s been with the Stars for only two seasons, each postseason has seen the Stars tap into what has made DeBoer so crucial in those winner-take-all games. And with a first-round date against the Avalanche? It’s possible DeBoer’s Game 7 tactics could come into play again.

Player to watch: Mikko Rantanen. There’s the theatrical aspect — watching a player who never thought he was going to leave the franchise that drafted him play a role in eliminating them months after being traded. But what’s greater than the drama is the fact that the Stars altered their entire team-building philosophy by dealing draft picks and a rookie roster player to get him, because they believe someone who has 101 points in 81 career playoff games can lead to them winning the second title in franchise history.

Bold prediction: Rantanen will either score or set up two of the game-winning goals in the first round against the Avalanche.

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Record: 49-29-4, 102 points
First-round opponent: Stars

Case for a Stanley Cup run: What’s essentially doomed the Avs since they won the Stanley Cup back in 2022 is a lack of consistent secondary and tertiary scoring. It’s something they’ve tried to fix on multiple occasions, only to end up course correcting. But, the trades they’ve made this season have given them not only their strongest roster since they won the Cup, but a group that has the potential to be just as good as that title-winning team. That group will be put to the test quickly in the first round against the Stars.

X factor: Their supporting cast. Relying on their role players was crucial to why they averaged more than four goals per game en route to knocking out the Jets in five games in the opening round last spring. But that changed against the Stars in Round 2. A lack of consistent secondary scoring, among other items, resulted in the Avs notching six total goals in the four games they lost to the Stars in the second round.

Player to watch: Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche captain played his first professional game in nearly three years for the Avs’ AHL affiliate this past weekend. After logging 15 minutes in his first game, he scored a goal and had an assist in his second game, while his surgically repaired knee didn’t give him any issues. It sets the stage for Landeskog returning this postseason, and not only providing the Avs with a two-way net front presence who plays a responsible game, but someone who provides a calming influence in difficult situations.

Bold prediction: Landeskog will score three goals in the first round against the Stars.

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Record: 44-30-8, 96 points
First-round opponent: Jets

Case for a Stanley Cup run: Since they hired Jim Montgomery in November, the Blues have talked about the adjustments they could make, and it led to an openness that led to contributions throughout their lineup. That became evident during a 12-game win streak across March and April that saw them catapult from wild-card hopeful to being in control of the wild-card race.

Oh, and an in-season coaching change followed by a strong run to the playoffs and then a Stanley Cup for St. Louis? Yeah, we’ve seen that before.

X factor: How far will their defensive structure take them? One of the biggest challenges facing the Blues before they hired Montgomery was the need for defensive consistency. They hired assistant Mike Weber to focus on defense, and added two-way forwards to help address the problem.

Following Montgomery’s arrival, the Blues have steadily improved to the point where they’re among the best in the NHL in allowing high-danger chances per 60 minutes, while being in the top 13 in fewest shots allowed per 60 and scoring chances per 60.

Player to watch: Jordan Binnington. For months ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off, much was made about Canada’s relative weakness in goal. The team turned to Binnington, who was instrumental in helping the nation win February’s best-on-best tournament. His exploits since have translated into success for the Blues. Given the changes under Montgomery coupled with what Binnington has done, could it lead to the Blues going on a run this postseason?

Bold prediction: Despite the Jets having the NHL’s top power play, the Blues will limit them to only two goals with the extra-skater advantage.

Pacific Division

Record: 50-22-10, 110 points
First-round opponent: Wild

Case for a Stanley Cup run: By Vegas standards, this team has been quiet — but it has also been rather productive.

Jack Eichel is no longer just an offensive threat. He’s developed into a complete, two-way forward who can be used in any situation. They’ve empowered Pavel Dorofeyev into becoming a 30-goal scorer. Goaltender Adin Hill went from being in a tandem to making more than 50 starts for the first time in his career. Those individual exploits are part of a collective that once again has the Golden Knights in a position to challenge for a second Stanley Cup in three years.

X factor: Their strength in numbers. Winning that title in 2023 was largely made possible by the Golden Knights’ depth. That’s what made last offseason so jarring, because quite a bit of that depth left in free agency. The response? Eleven players finished 2024-25 with 10 or more goals. That group includes Dorofeyev but also Brett Howden, who went from 39 career goals in 351 career games entering this season to 23 goals in 2024-25.

Player to watch: Tomas Hertl. Hertl had a difficult time after coming over via trade at the tail end of last season, as he was coming back from injury. That extended into the postseason, in which he finished with one point in seven games. But in his first full season with the club, Hertl has looked the part of a legitimate top-six forward, reaching the 30-goal mark for the third time in his career. Getting that version of Hertl means the Golden Knights could also get “Playoff Hertl,” who scored 16 goals and had 24 points in 29 games during his final two postseason campaigns with the San Jose Sharks.

Bold prediction: Not only will Dorofeyev lead the Golden Knights in goals after the first round, but he will lead the Western Conference in goals.

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Record: 48-24-9, 105 points
First-round opponent: Oilers

Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Kings have gone through a few iterations over the last four years once their rebuild was complete. They’ve made big trades, spent quite a bit of money in free agency, shuffled through goaltenders, and fired and hired coaches only for it to all end in the same place the past three seasons: getting knocked out by the Oilers in the first round.

This season, they’ve attained a level of consistency — both with their structure under Jim Hiller and in having roster continuity — that could make this spring end differently. And it helps that the goalie on whom they finally landed has shown up in a big way — even earning some Vezina consideration.

X factor: Can their identity be the difference? A former assistant coach who went from interim coach to head coach this season, Jim Hiller has developed the Kings into one of the more consistent teams in the NHL. Their underlying offensive metrics have them in the top 10 or just outside the top 10 in most shots per 60 minutes, goals per 60, scoring chances per 60 and high-danger chances per 60.

Defensively, they’re in the top three in fewest opportunities allowed in those same categories, while also being top three in team save percentage.

Player to watch: Darcy Kuemper. All the changes the Kings have made in net have come with the intention of getting to the second round. So far, none of those adjustments have worked, which led them to get Kuemper. In only 34 career playoff games, he’s done quite a bit: helping the Arizona Coyotes win a round in the Edmonton bubble in 2020 and backstopping the Avs to a Stanley Cup in 2022. Does he add getting the Kings (finally) past the first round and the Oilers to his list of achievements?

Bold prediction: Warren Foegele, who scored three playoff goals for the Oilers last season, will have a hat trick in the first round against his old team.

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Record: 48-29-5, 101 points
First-round opponent: Kings

Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Oilers were a game away from winning the Stanley Cup last year after falling into a three-game series hole against the Panthers. The entirety of their run reinforced the notion that they were more than just Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. That they had the support cast who could be counted upon in critical sequences, while coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff seemingly had an adjustment for every situation.

Even though the Oilers enter the playoffs facing a long list of injuries, they’re in a championship window — and have shown they can figure it out when needed.

X factor: Can they fix the disconnect with their defense and goaltending? Everything about the Oilers’ underlying metrics suggests they’re one of the stronger defensive teams in the NHL this season. They’re in the top 10 in fewest scoring chances allowed per 60 minutes and the fewest high-danger scoring chances allowed per 60. They’re also 11th in shots allowed per 60.

And yet, they are in the bottom 10 in team save percentage. How is it that the Oilers have been consistent with their structure but inconsistent in net? Answering that question could play a role in an early exit versus a protracted one.

Player to watch: Stuart Skinner. Not that a team’s playoff fate hinges entirely on the actions of one player, but there’s attention on Skinner for a reason (in addition to everything in the previous section). The benching during last year’s playoffs seemed to be a wake-up call; thereafter, he was a consistent presence that played a significant role in the Oilers’ Cup Final run.

But, this season has arguably been his most difficult since becoming the Oilers’ No. 1. His .894 save percentage is his lowest in that time, while Skinner’s minus-10.34 goals saved above expected (per Natural Stat Trick) is the worst of any goalie who could potentially start for a playoff team.

Bold prediction: Should the Oilers get past the Kings in the first round, they’ll return to the Stanley Cup Final.

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Record: 45-30-7, 97 points
First-round opponent: Golden Knights

Case for a Stanley Cup run: Just look at what they’ve been through this season. Kirill Kaprizov was having the best season of his career before he sustained a long-term injury, limiting him to 41 games. The Wild also had to navigate injuries to Joel Eriksson Ek, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin. They were in the bottom 10 of goals per game, shots per 60 minutes, scoring chances per 60 and high-danger chances per 60.

If they made it this far in a season in which they’ve played many tight games, shouldn’t playing those games now provide a sense of normalcy — especially with all of those players back in the lineup?

X factor: Comfort in one-goal games. Yes, playoff games are different because one mistake can make the difference between winning a game or losing a series. But as noted above, the Wild know that concept all too well this season. They’ve played in 28 one-goal games and have won 18 of them. There was even one stretch in which they won four consecutive one-goal games.

And for a team that was the worst in goals per game among Western Conference playoff teams? Those one-goal games could be crucial toward their aspirations.

Player to watch: Zeev Buium. Although the Wild have a number of players who could be in this space, what makes Buium the pick here is the intrigue. From the moment they drafted him last summer, it created an expectation that he and Brock Faber could usher the Wild’s blue line into a new era. But above all, it gave the Wild another young, puck-moving defenseman who could play heavy minutes — and important minutes — when the time came. Buium has already filled that role with the University of Denver and the two-time gold-medal winning U.S. team at the World Juniors. He could be the next young blueliner who is asked to do the same in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Bold prediction: Marc-Andre Fleury will get at least one win against the Golden Knights, and if so, it will come at T-Mobile Arena.

As a service to fans who have a general interest in the National Hockey League but have no idea what has happened since the Florida Panthers raised the Stanley Cup by defeating the Edmonton Oilers last June, we’re happy to provide this FAQ as a guide to the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

And for you die-hard puckheads: Here is your official refresher before the games begin Saturday. Enjoy!

Read more:
Full schedule
Megapreview
Playoff Central
Contender flaws

Where did all the usual suspects go?

History was made in the NHL this season, but not the kind that its most storied U.S. franchises wanted. The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs mark the first time that the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers have all missed the cut in the same postseason:

• Chicago’s in a rebuild

• Detroit was supposed to finally emerge from one but missed the playoffs for the ninth straight season, despite an in-season coaching change — the sixth season without a postseason berth under GM Steve Yzerman

• The Bruins fired their coach 20 games into the season, only to eventually ship out a number of veteran players at the trade deadline while missing the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons

• The Rangers went from the league’s best record to finishing eight points out of the playoffs, and could see major changes in the offseason

The New York Islanders, Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks were all 2024 playoff teams that didn’t make it back this season. Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins missed the playoffs for the third straight season.

So the 2025 postseason won’t have a number of glamour franchises and superstar players. But that just creates room in the spotlight for others to emerge.

Can the Panthers repeat?

The Stanley Cup champion Panthers finished third in the Atlantic Division with 98 points, down significantly from their 110-point season a year ago. Injuries were a factor: Captain Aleksander Barkov was limited to 67 games, and spiritual leader Matthew Tkachuk played only 52 games and hasn’t been in a game since the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Top defenseman Aaron Ekblad was also limited to 56 games after being suspended 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA performance-enhancing substances program. The earliest he can return is Game 3 of the Panthers’ Battle of Florida first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

All of this is to say that we haven’t really seen what this version of the Panthers is going to look like with all systems go. There are some constants from last year’s Cup-winning roster: Sam Reinhart was brilliant again, with 81 points in 79 games and could win the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward. Clutch playoff performers Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett, as well as defensive rock Gustav Forsling, are back for another run.

But it’s a different supporting cast. Defensemen Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and forwards Vladimir Tarasenko and Kevin Stenlund moved on after last season. Florida made two blockbuster additions to bolster their group before the trade deadline, acquiring defenseman Seth Jones from the Blackhawks and Bruins captain Brad Marchand.

The Panthers certainly have the players for a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final and a repeat as champions. It’s just a matter of whether they all fit as snugly as they have previously under head coach Paul Maurice. If nothing else, the first round should give us our first look at Marchand and Tkachuk both yapping on the same team. Humanity might never be the same.

If they win the Battle of Florida, can the Lightning win the Cup?

The Lightning finished second in the Atlantic with around the same record as last season, but they feel like a much more dangerous team.

Tampa Bay led the NHL in goals per game, powered by winger Nikita Kucherov, who was the league’s top point scorer this season (121) while setting up Brayden Point (42 goals) and Jake Guentzel (41 goals) for dominant seasons. Winger Brandon Hagel had 90 points in 81 games, and was one of the NHL’s best all-around players; ditto center Anthony Cirelli (27 goals), who’s in the conversation for the league’s top defensive center this season.

On the blue line, former Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman led his teammates in average ice time by nearly two minutes.

But it’s the reemergence of star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy that has bolstered the Bolts’ Stanley Cup chances. He had his best season since 2020-21, and was recently named the league’s top goalie in a survey of his peers. If Vasilevskiy can carry that over to the postseason, where he always has been at his best, the Lightning could be in business.

Tampa Bay hasn’t escaped the first round since losing in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final to Colorado, which followed consecutive Cup wins for the Lightning. Perhaps seeking to recapture that magic, GM Julien BriseBois reacquired two players from their title reign: defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who has been outstanding this season after being traded from Nashville; and center Yanni Gourde, a trade- deadline pickup from Seattle who has fit right back in with the Lightning.

If they can get past their archrivals — admittedly, a big “if” — the potential for another boat parade in the bay isn’t out of the question.

What can we expect from the Battle of Ontario?

The NHL wild-card format exists to maximize the potential for rivals to meet in the postseason, and it worked like a charm in the Eastern Conference: Not only is there another Battle of Florida, but the Battle of Ontario has been reignited between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, the latter of whom finished in the first wild-card spot to end a seven-year playoff drought.

These rivals met four times between 2000 and 2004, with Toronto winning each time. We don’t want to say Senators fans are salivating at the chance to take down the Atlantic Division-leading Leafs, but the streets of Ottawa are currently flooded.

The Maple Leafs are still on their quixotic mission to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1967. As usual, there are reasons to believe. Winger Mitch Marner, an unrestricted free agent this summer, had 100 points in 80 games. Forwards William Nylander (45 goals) and Auston Matthews (77 points in 66 games) were dominant, while pending free agent John Tavares regained his point-per-game form.

Toronto’s hopes rest on the pads of goalies Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz, who led the Leafs to the fourth-best team save percentage in the NHL in the regular season. But questions about their lack of playoff experience (a combined eight games) and ability to remain healthy linger.

The Senators’ playoff berth marks the first time Brady Tkachuk has participated in an NHL postseason — other than being a spectator at his brother’s games. He’s the driving force behind an Ottawa team with strong young talents in forward Tim Stutzle (76 points) and defenseman Jake Sanderson (55 points).

But the key is goaltender Linus Ullmark, acquired from the Bruins last summer. He had a solid regular season but has a career postseason record of 3-6 with a .887 save percentage, all with Boston. He has something to prove.

When Ovechkin re-signed with the Capitals, there was a promise made by Washington to remain a playoff contender around him as he chased down Gretzky so Ovechkin wasn’t just compiling goals in meaningless games. No one could have predicted the Capitals would retool to the point where they finished atop the Eastern Conference.

The Capitals were the second-best team offensively and finished in the top 10 defensively this season. Offseason bets on players such as forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, defenseman Jakob Chychrun and goalie Logan Thompson paid off, while homegrown talents Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael thrived — as did star defenseman John Carlson, who had his best season in years.

But the Capitals are a mystery in the playoffs. When they play coach Spencer Carbery’s system to perfection, they can beat anyone in the league. But beyond Ovechkin, there isn’t another established star difference-maker in the lineup. That has made some observers skeptical that their regular-season success could transfer over the playoffs. But what an incredible cap to an all-time season it would be if Ovechkin raised his second Stanley Cup — and his first as the NHL’s goal-scoring GOAT.

Are the Devils toast without Jack Hughes?

New Jersey was well on its way to returning to the playoffs when it lost leading scorer and No. 1 center Hughes to a shoulder injury, which is expected to keep him out until next season’s training camp.

Hughes had 70 points in 62 games. Since Hughes went out, the Devils are 9-10-1 for a .475 points percentage, 23rd in the NHL in that span. They were also without top defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who was injured one game after Hughes went out. Hamilton returned to the lineup in their regular-season finale.

It’s hard to conceive that the Devils could win the conference without Hughes, but players such as center Nico Hischier and winger Jesper Bratt stepped up significantly in his absence. Whether the Devils make any noise in the playoffs comes down to their goaltending, and specifically Jacob Markstrom, who has the ability to steal games but hasn’t consistently shown this season — much like the team in front of him.

Is this the year Carolina breaks through for a championship run?

For years, the Hurricanes have fallen just short in the playoffs, losing in the conference finals twice and the second round three times under coach Rod Brind’amour. Usually the culprit has been their inability to get a key goal at a key time in a series.

Last season, they traded for Jake Guentzel, a proven playoff performer, but Carolina stalled out in the second round and Guentzel walked as a free agent. This season, they made a blockbuster trade with Colorado that saw the Hurricanes ship leading scorer Martin Necas to the Avs for Mikko Rantanen … only to then trade Rantanen to Dallas before the deadline, after the star winger declined to sign a contract extension in Raleigh. Carolina acquired 21-year-old forward Logan Stankoven in the deal, a talented scorer but not one yet on the level of Rantanen or Guentzel.

So the Hurricanes are right back where they’ve been: a grinding, aggressive puck possession team with an offense and defense both in the top 10 and the best penalty kill in the league. They have some offensive pop from players such as Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, but it’s saying something that Necas is still their third-leading scorer. They also have goaltenders in Pyotr Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen that led the Canes to finishing 23rd in team save percentage (.889).

Yet a bounce here, a break there and a key goal in a key moment, and no one would be surprised to see Brind’Amour’s team break through in the East. It just seems a little less possible after the Rantanen revolving door.

Is Dallas vs. Colorado peak postseason drama?

With due respect to the geographic rivalry series in the Eastern Conference, no series has more compelling storylines than the Stars vs. the Avalanche in a matchup of Central Division rivals.

Consider that the Stars were picked by many to win the Stanley Cup this season, while the Avalanche have aggressively retooled their team from the crease out after losing to Dallas in the second round last season, seeking another Cup win after raising it in 2022.

Consider that the Avalanche decided Rantanen was not in their long-term plans, traded him to Carolina and then watched as the Hurricanes traded him to Dallas, where he signed an eight-year, $96 million deal. Rantanen has forged a reputation as one of the NHL’s top postseason scorers. He’d like nothing more than to remind the Avalanche why that is.

Consider that the Stars are taking on one of the best teams in the NHL with two major injury concerns. Top defenseman Miro Heiskanen hasn’t played since Jan. 28 because of a knee injury. There has been speculation out of Dallas that he could sit out this series, but GM Jim Nill seemed to indicate recently that there was a chance he could return in the first round. Meanwhile, star winger Jason Robertson sustained a lower-body injury in the Stars’ regular-season finale. His status was unclear for the Avalanche series. According to Betalytics, Colorado’s chances to win the series increase by over two percentage points if Robertson can’t play;

Finally, consider that Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog is in the midst of one of the NHL’s greatest comebacks in recent memory. His most recent game in the league was June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. He sat out the following season after right knee surgery. He underwent cartilage transplant surgery and sat out 2023-24 and most of this season. Landeskog had been skating with the Avalanche and then returned to competitive play with the AHL Colorado Eagles. This incredible comeback journey could see him return to NHL action in Game 1 against Dallas.

This matchup has enough storylines for 10 series. It’s also a battle that could easily produce this season’s eventual Stanley Cup winner.

Besides Rantanen, who are the other familiar faces in new places who could affect the playoffs?

As mentioned, the Avalanche aggressively added to their group all season, including a total makeover of their goaltending that saw former Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood take over the crease. They also added forwards Brock Nelson (Islanders) and Charlie Coyle (Bruins), as well as defensemen Ryan Lindgren (Rangers) and former Avalanche player Erik Johnson (Flyers) before the trade deadline.

In addition to trading Coyle and Marchand, the Bruins also sent veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Maple Leafs.

Ottawa bolstered its team for now and in the future by acquiring center Dylan Cozens from Buffalo. Tampa Bay added forward Oliver Bjorkstrand in the trade with Seattle that also got them Gourde.

Which rookies could make an impact in the playoffs?

If the Montreal Canadiens are going to upset the Washington Capitals, two rookies are going to have to make a major impact. Defenseman Lane Hutson is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year after 66 points in 82 games, leading all first-year players. Forward Ivan Demidov, a dynamic offensive star in the KHL, signed with Montreal late in the season and made an immediate impact. He’s one to watch.

Among the other rookies who’ll be counted on in the playoffs are Stankoven, who had 37 points in 77 games with Dallas and Carolina; forward Zack Bolduc (36 points) of the St. Louis Blues; forward Jackson Blake (34 points) of the Hurricanes; forward Mackie Samoskevich (31 points) of the Panthers; and center Mavrik Bourque (25 points) of the Stars.

Can Winnipeg break the Presidents’ Trophy curse?

The Jets finished with 116 points to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the NHL and with it the Presidents’ Trophy. Congratulations, and we’re sorry.

The Presidents’ Trophy curse is well-known hockey lore among players and fans. There have been 39 winners of the hardware since it was introduced in 1985-86. Only eight teams that finished first overall went on to win the Stanley Cup. For context, seven Presidents’ Trophy winners lost in the opening round. It has only gotten worse since the NHL moved to a wild-card format in 2013-14: No Presidents’ Trophy winner has gone on to play for the Stanley Cup, let alone win it, while two teams (Tampa Bay in 2019 and Boston in 2023) lost in the opening round.

The Jets are on a mission after two straight seasons of losing in the first round in five games. They talked down regular-season accomplishment all season, with a focus on the postseason. Winnipeg had the fourth-best offense in the NHL, powered by the league’s best power play. More importantly, they had the NHL’s best goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck, last year’s Vezina Trophy winner who finished atop the league in both traditional stats and analytics. Like the rest of his team, Hellebuyck wants to flip the script on his own underwhelming numbers from last postseason.

The Jets face a Blues team that made the playoffs after a torrid 12-game winning streak in March, as part of an 18-3-0 run. The Blues fired coach Drew Bannister after 22 games, when Jim Montgomery became available after Boston fired him. After the 4 Nations Face-Off, St. Louis finally found its stride under Montgomery: first in 5-on-5 offense and second in defense during the winning streak.

St. Louis won’t be an easy out for Winnipeg. As Blues goalie Jordan Binnington showed at 4 Nations for Canada, he can rise to meet the moment.

Is the fourth time the charm for the Los Angeles Kings?

The Kings had an outstanding regular season under new coach Jim Hiller, who guided L.A. to a .648 points percentage, the second highest in franchise history. They found a goalie in Darcy Kuemper, who had some of the best numbers of his career in back of the second-best defensive team in the NHL.

And what did all of this earn the Kings? A fourth straight first-round matchup against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

The Kings lost in seven games in 2022, six games in 2023 and five games last season. Obviously, L.A. fans would like that trend to end. If the Kings finally get past the Oilers, their combination of defensive dominance and offensively opportunistic veterans such as Adrian Kempe (35 goals), Anze Kopitar (67 points) and Kevin Fiala (35 goals) could be a force in the West.

Will Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl finish the story?

The Edmonton Oilers came within one victory from hoisting the Stanley Cup last season, rallying from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7 before losing to the Panthers.

This season has had its challenges for Edmonton. Evander Kane sat out the regular season because of knee injury. McDavid and Draisaitl both sat out because of injuries, but Draisaitl was the league’s top goal scorer with 52 in 71 games. Steady defenseman Mattias Ekholm will sit out the Kings series because of an injury. The Oilers played inconsistent defense in front of goaltending that ranked 16th in team save percentage.

If the Oilers are going to get back to the Stanley Cup Final, they’ll need their stars to carry them, their supporting cast to step up and goalies Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard to play well enough not to cost Edmonton a series. A lot broke the Oilers’ way last season. The road’s even tougher in the West this postseason.

Which team is the X factor in the 2025 playoffs?

The Vegas Golden Knights‘ ceiling might be the Stanley Cup, which they won for the first and only time in 2023. But it has been difficult to get a handle on how good they can be given some of their lineup absences: Only five Vegas players played over 80 games this season. But the Knights made it work: They finished third in team defense, fifth in offense and first in the Pacific Division.

There are difference-makers all over the lineup. Jack Eichel had a career season, with 93 points in 77 games. Pavel Dorofeyev had a breakout with 35 goals, with Tomas Hertl — always a postseason standout — right behind him, with 32 goals. Mark Stone played 66 games but had 67 points in them. Vegas has as solid a defense corps as you’ll find in the West, in front of goalie Adin Hill, who overcame a slow start to have a solid season.

The Knights draw a Minnesota team in the first round that clinched a playoff spot in their last game of the season, and are riding some good vibes now that Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek are both healthy. There’s always a chance that Marc-Andre Fleury helps author an upset against his former team in the last playoff run of his career. But more likely, it’ll be Vegas moving on — it’s just a question of how long their run will last.

So who wins the Cup?

There’s no juggernaut ready to slice through the playoffs to the Cup Final. A handful of teams have a rightful claim to the throne and none would be surprising should they ascend to it.

According to ESPN BET, the Avalanche are the favorites to win it all, followed by the Panthers, Hurricanes, Golden Knights, Oilers and Jets.

The Leafs have the longest Stanley Cup drought, having not won since 1967. The Oilers actually have the second longest, having last won the Cup in 1990.

There are 10 current NHL teams that have yet to win the Stanley Cup. Three of them are in this playoff bracket: Wild, Senators and Jets.

Will it be a team that has never hoisted the Cup before? Will it be a team that has been on the precipice of a championship like Carolina and Dallas? Will it be a recent winner, cycling back to another title? Your guess is as good as ours.

Enjoy the Stanley Cup playoffs, everyone — the best postseason in sports.