And until proven otherwise, this is the Boston Invitational.
Let us attempt to immediately identify the pretenders, though we must provide the official disclaimer that our preseason pick to win the Cup, the Calgary Flames, did not make the playoffs.
Will Kevin Fiala be at full strength for a disciplined, well-structured Kings team that improved dramatically in goal at the deadline while swapping out two-time Cup winner Jonathan Quick for Joonas Korpisalo but seems to lack scoring power? Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield celebrates the 4-0 shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers with goaltender Ilya Sorokin .Yes, the Islanders are built for the playoffs, yes, they have a goaltender in Ilya Sorokin capable of stealing games at a time, and, oh yes, they should get a significant boost in every imaginable way if Mat Barzal can return and contribute.
Maybe the ghosts of past choking situations are in the past and past only. Maybe adding Ryan O’Reilly will become the missing piece that, say, Nick Foligno and Mark Giordano were not. Maybe the Maple Leafs will get Cup-caliber goaltending from Matt Murray if he is healthy or does anyone really believe in Ilya Samsonov? If this group cannot get by at least Tampa Bay in the first round for the franchise’s first series victory since 2004, there will be no going back.
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