NHL Trade Deadline

[Guest starvenger]

I'm also sure that most leaf fans are idealists that they don't realize their team does not have a shot at the cup at all.

What a load of crap. Try not to let your dislike of the Leafs disguise the fact that ALL 16 teams that enter the playoffs have a shot at winning the Cup.

[Guest LaParkaMarka]

Meh, I don't really see the Ducks going anywhere. But yeah, every team does have a chance, especially Toronto.

[Guest treble charged]

Well, if Steve Thomas keeps playing like he has in his first few games, they could make some noise in the first round, but I really don't see them going very far. Of course, that same thing last year could be said about Carolina, and we all know what happened there.

[Guest Slingshot Suplex]

If Giguere and the big line get hot,I could see the Ducks stealing at least a round

[Guest evilhomer]

Any team has a chance. All you have to do is look at 1991 when the Minnesota North Stars went all the way to the cup final. It was a very shitty team, I believe they just snuck into the playoffs by a point or two. They played a boring, trapping game, but no one could score on them so they went all the way to the finals. They were only stopped by the incredible display that Lemeiux put on that year and in that series.

[Guest redbaron51]

theoretically all 16 teams has a chance. In Reality, most of those teams don't have a chance.

[Guest nl5xsk1]

It all depends on the goalie, and recent history seems to indicate that this happens more in the East:

- Capitals: carried to the Cup by Kolzig (ultimately losing to a better, deeper team)

- Sabres: carried to the Cup by Hasek (ultimately losing to a better, deeper team with an equally hot goalie)

- 'Canes: carried to the Cup by Irbe (with a little help from Weekes early in the playoffs) (ultimately losing to a better, deeper team with one of the game's greatest goalies)

 

Any team has a chance to make it to the Cup, but do names such as Hackett, Shields, or Snow make you think of "Cup-Contender"? Even some deep teams (Ottawa and Philly, in particular) are unlikely Cup finalists because of their goaltending.

 

My guess for the Cup finals: Detroit or Dallas over NJ. (it was Vancouver over Ottawa until about 1 week ago)

[Guest redbaron51]

I could never see a Canadian Team compete for the cup since the 94 season.

 

Toronto still does not have what it takes to compete against the top three American teams in the West

[Guest starvenger]

I could never see a Canadian Team compete for the cup since the 94 season.

Well, right now Vancouver and Ottawa are pretty strong so they may well prove you wrong. Toronto isn't quite as strong, but they are perennial contenders, so you can't count them out.

 

Toronto still does not have what it takes to compete against the top three American teams in the West

To be honest, in the past few years, most of the teams in the East didn't either. New Jersey kept up by using the trap, but otherwise it's all been about the Western teams. But I think that if the obstruction is actually called in the playoffs, we'll see a pretty competitive finals. Obviously, I'd like to see the Leafs there, but I'd be happy simply to see a competitive series, y'know?

 

Oh, and it looks like that Philly/Toronto series isn't gonna happen, what with Philly tied for the division lead and New Jersey fading somewhat. Which is good news for both teams, I think - that matchup would definitely have been a war of attrition. Not that Jersey and Boston are pushovers, but I don't think that those matchups would be as punishing.