Ranking the Best Possible 2024 NHL Playoffs Matchups
The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are just a couple of weeks away and that means it's time to start looking ahead to some potential matchups.
Specifically, the best possible matchups.
Today we have 10 possible matchups that we would love to see throughout the playoffs, ranging from intense team rivalries, to rematches, to individual player matchups that would just seem exciting.
Keep in mind, that we are not just looking at potential First-Round matchups. These are matchups we would like to see from the opening round through the Stanley Cup Final.
10. Winnipeg Jets vs. Los Angeles Kings
1 of 10
This might be a sneaky fun series, simply due to the storyline of the Jets going against Pierre-Luc Dubois after he asked for a trade out of Winnipeg.
Boos rained down on him every time he touched the puck in his first return back to Winnipeg during the regular season (and he silenced them in part by scoring a goal in that game) and that intensity would probably only increase in a playoff matchup.
The only downside to this hypothetical matchup, and the biggest reason it is in the 10 spot here? It is unlikely and probably would not happen until the Western Conference Final given the way the standings are aligned.
Even then, it seems unlikely that both teams would get through their respective brackets to reach that point.
9. Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights
2 of 10
A potential rematch of last year's Western Conference Final could be in store again this season.
The Stars look even better than they did a year ago and have one of the most loaded rosters in the NHL. They are one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL with a deep forward group led by Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, Wyatt Johnston, Matt Duchene and recent call-up Logan Stankoven. That does not even get into veteran depth players like Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Mason Marchment.
Vegas, meanwhile, is still waiting for everybody to get healthy so it can make another potential run at a championship and try to claim back-to-back titles.
The key here is Vegas' health because if it gets everybody back in the lineup, on top of its trade deadline additions, it will also one of the most complete rosters in the league on paper.
Last year's series was insanely close -- right up until the decisive sixth game -- with Vegas winning the first two games in overtime. It could have been anybody's series and Dallas might have the players to take the rematch if both teams get there.
8. Dallas Stars vs. Vancouver Canucks
3 of 10
This would just seem like a fun matchup.
Two great offenses, a lot of high-end talent and two fun styles that should lend themselves to a fun series.
The Canucks are one of the biggest surprises in the league this season and have finally seen everything come together with their young core. Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes are worth watching every night regardless of the opponent, while Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller have also had huge years offensively.
The Stars also boast a loaded lineup that should match up well with the Canucks style of play.
It all comes down to the vibes here and the potential for a fast-paced, offensive series.
Their regular-season games this season seem to back up that belief.
The only potential negative here is it would not probably happen until the Western Conference Final, making it less likely to happen. That also drops a little further down the rankings just because we may not see it happen this season.
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7. New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
4 of 10
We could call this the John Tortorella Bowl.
Not only are the Rangers and Flyers long-time divisional rivals that have played some truly bonkers games in recent years, including a chaotic, back-and-forth 6-5 Rangers win just this past week.
You would also have the reigniting of the once fierce rivalry that is Tortorella vs. the New York City hockey media. That is sometimes as intense as the action on the ice.
The Flyers are one of the NHL's biggest surprise teams this year and have positioned themselves for a shocking playoff berth in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year.
The Rangers are simply one of the NHL's best teams and should have a Stanley Cup mentality. Given the playing style of both teams (the Flyers' counter-attacking style against the Rangers' "we'll let Igor Shesterkin deal with it" approach to defense), as well as the history between them, this could be an exciting and fierce matchup whether it goes four games or seven.
Basically, we're just here for the chaos of it all.
6. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins
5 of 10
Maybe you are tired of seeing these two teams meet in the playoffs. But we're willing to bet a lot of you would be glued to this series just for the intrigue it would create.
This is a potential nightmare matchup for Toronto, just because it has gone so poorly so many times over the past decade.
But maybe this could be the year Toronto finally exorcises those demons against the Bruins and starts a playoff run.
Or maybe the Bruins do what they always do against Toronto and outlast them in a grind of a seven-game series and continue the playoff misery for this Maple Leafs core.
That is all part of the allure of this matchup. There is a very one-sided history here (at least recently) and it would jumpstart the Maple Leafs (if they win it) or perhaps set the wheels in motion for major changes (if they lose it again). It is the type of matchup that could have long-lasting impacts in the Eastern Conference depending on the result. And that is kind of fun to think about.
Toronto lost all four games against the Bruins during the regular season, including two games in overtime, while being outscored by a 15-7 margin.
A first-round meeting here is still very much on the table and in play.
5. Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers
6 of 10
Based on the Pacific Division standings this could either be a First-Round matchup or potentially have to wait until later in the playoffs. Either way, it would be fun.
It would also be a rematch of last year's Second Round matchup that saw the Golden Knights win in six games on their way to a Stanley Cup championship.
Vegas is looking to repeat. Edmonton is looking to get its first in the Connor McDavid era.
Edmonton has been one of the league's best teams since its early coaching change, while the Golden Knights remain something of a mystery. They have tailed off significantly since an 11-0-1 start and only been a .500 team since then, but they also haven't been fully healthy and loaded up at the trade deadline in a comical way with the additions of Tomas Hertl, Anthony Mantha and Noah Hanifin.
If Vegas is fully healthy they would be two of the best rosters in the league on paper. As a First-Round matchup, you are guaranteed to lose a serious Stanley Cup contender right away. That alone adds some intrigue and major drama.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Edmonton Oilers
7 of 10
Canada has to end its Stanley Cup drought at some point, doesn't it?
Well, this would be one of the potential matchups that would guarantee it happening. It would also be the most intriguing of all the potential Canadian matchups.
Toronto looking to end its Stanley Cup drought that goes back to the Original Six days. McDavid going for his first championship to solidify his resume as an all-time great. The best overall offensive player (McDavid) going head-to-head against the game's best current goal-scorer (Auston Matthews).
It would be captivating theatre.
Their two regular-season matchups this year produced 15 combined goals, and given the shaky goaltending situations in both Edmonton and Toronto could be one of the most exciting Stanley Cup Final matchups in terms of offense in quite some time.
They just both have to actually get there.
For Toronto, that would require a very flawed team with no playoff success running a gauntlet through the Eastern Conference. For Edmonton, it would require getting over the hump that is the second and third round in the West.
3. Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
8 of 10
The Panthers and Lightning may not have the history of some of the older NHL franchises, but their rivalry is every bit as real and intense as any of the old-school rivalries.
Not only that, but the Lightning and Panthers have combined to represent the Eastern Conference in each of the past four Stanley Cup Finals. They have also played each other in the playoffs on two separate occasions during that stretch, with the Lightning winning both of them.
Even though the Lightning are not what they were a couple of years ago when they were winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, they still have elite talent at the top of their lineup and would be a terrifying matchup for any contender.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is always capable of getting hot and Nikita Kucherov can take over any game and any series at any time.
The Panthers are also loaded with talent, while both teams play a very similar style of hockey that lends itself to tempers flaring. It would be talented, physical, intense and result in both teams hating each other more than they already do.
2. Florida Panthers vs. Boston Bruins
9 of 10
This would be a rematch of last year's First-Round series where the No. 8 seed Panthers not only beat the record-setting Boston Bruins, they overcame a 3-1 series deficit to do it.
This would have to come later in the playoffs than the First Round, which would only up the stakes.
On paper Boston is a worse team than it was a year ago without Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci playing down the middle, and its defense leaves a little something to be desired despite having strong goals against numbers. Most of that success comes from the play of their goalies. On the other hand, Florida looks to be even better and more dangerous than it was a year ago when it went on its shocking run to the Stanley Cup Final and anything that gives you a chance to see Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand rattle each other's cages for potentially seven games would be worth the price of admission.
The Panthers have swept the season series through the first three meetings.
1. Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers
10 of 10
This would not happen until the Western Conference Final, but it might be one of the most captivating matchups in the Western Conference, and perhaps the entire NHL.
Colorado and Edmonton are the first and fourth highest-scoring teams in the league.
They both have world-class players at the top of their lineup and the star power here would be insane with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar all sharing the same ice.
Both teams also have very questionable goaltending situations, throwing another variable into the mix that could result in fast-paced, high-scoring hockey.
They have only played once this season and still have two regular season games remaining, and those late-season matchups can sometimes really set the tone for potential playoff matchups.
If you like offense and watching the best players in the world, this is a series you want to be rooting for.
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