NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: 5 Pretenders and 5 Contenders

The NHL is just about ready to enter its dog days.

Teams are clawing for any point they can get to add to their total.

In two short months, the NHL season will be finished, and the playoffs will be set.

While teams like the New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins have their playoff spots all but locked up, others are still contending for that last spot.  

These following slides will show which teams have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs and which teams will be on the golf course.

(This is Part I of a three part series. Part I: Teams making the playoffs. Part II: Teams making the playoffs after the trade deadline. Part III: Teams that have a shot at the cup once playoffs have started.) 

Pretender: Winnipeg Jets

If crowd support determined the standings, then Winnipeg would be fighting for the President's Trophy. Unfortunately for the reborn Jets and their city, April is not calling their name. 

These Jets are nearly identical to the Atlanta Thrashers that finished 12th in the Eastern Conference last year. The team has done well playing in front of a full house night in and night out. However, the 9-16-4 away record is not the kind of hockey a playoff team should be playing.

Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec has been playing fairly well, posting a 2.70 GAA and .913 save percentage. While they are not Vezina-worthy stats, they are getting the job done. If they want to make a push for the playoffs, they might want to trade for another goaltender that could post better numbers.

Being a Western Canadian team in the Southeast Division is never going to be easy, let alone contending for a playoff spot. The city of Winnipeg should be proud of the team being this close in contention, and look to make a playoff spot when they are in the Western Conference. 

Contender: Florida Panthers

The Southeast Division is wide open, and with the moves that the Panthers made in the offseason, they are one point out of the division lead.

This prediction comes with an asterisk, as the only way the Panthers will get into the playoffs is if they win the division. I see the only team from the division going to the playoffs as the team that wins it.

The Panthers made a huge splash, grabbing Ed Jovanovski, Brian Campbell, Stephen Weiss, and Scottie Upshall in free agency, along with others. These signings proved to be huge, with Jovanovski's leadership, Weiss being the second-leading scorer and Campbell leading the defensemen in points. Outside of Florida, the Panthers have been 11-12-4, which isn't terribly bad for a team that would be guaranteed home ice in the playoffs.

Signing Jose Theodore was also huge, taking the place of lost veteran net-minder Tomas Vokoun. Theodore has been out with an injured knee, but when he comes back, the Panthers will pick back up where they left off.

This may be the most talented Panthers team in the history of the franchise, maybe even better than the Cinderella run the 1996 team went on.

Florida fans will have more to do in April than go to the beach or play golf if this team continues to play like they have all season.    

Pretender: Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames are always on the cusp of being a playoff team, and the majority of the time they are on the outside looking in. This year is no different.

The Flames base their offense on Jarome Iginla. He has been the face of the franchise, and this year has carried the team most of the time.

He has supporting roles from Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay, but other than that, the team is a bunch of young stars trying to prove themselves.

The Flames have been in a "rebuilding stage" for a few years, and it seems that they are trying to hybrid the team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004 with the younger generation.

It's not working.

For the team to go anywhere, they need to give Iginla the chance to win a cup somewhere else and have a new leader on the team.

Miikka Kiprusoff has been stellar for the Flames throughout his career with the team, with a career 2.45 GAA and .913 save percentage and three Vezina Trophy nominations. Kiprusoff has kept the team in playoff contention, but I see him wearing down late in the season and will not be able to perform his career numbers.

The Flames have a glimmer of hope to make the playoffs, as they currently sit just two points out of a sole possession of a playoff spot. However, the fate of the team will be clearer after the trade deadline and any move the Flames make. 

Contender: Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild have had a rollercoaster season.

At one point, they were leading the entire league in points and now they are desperately hanging onto the final playoff spot.

Make no mistake, this Wild team will be playing in April.

The Wild have had a rough stretch recently, with captain Mikko Koivu getting injured and Devin Setoguchi under-performing. Minnesota made a huge gamble, trading for Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi in exchange for Brent Burns and Martin Havlat.

Heatley has lived up to the hype, as he is leading the team in scoring. Setoguchi, as stated earlier, has not been playing like the player they traded for, but the intensity of the playoffs should help his game. 

Nicklas Backstrom has had a bounce back year with a 2.32 GAA and .925 save percentage; numbers he hasn't put up since his rookie campaign (1.97 and .929, respectively). While he is 33, his age should not be a factor, nor should the -14 goal differential. Backstrom will continue to play well and lead his team into the playoffs.

The Wild will have to fend off a couple of teams in order to secure one of the final playoff sports, but playing in the weak Northeast Division will help, and the Wild will be able to try and make a run at Lord Stanley's Cup. 

Pretender: Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks have been on a surge recently, going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. However, this is not a sign of things to come. The Ducks dug themselves a huge hole, and will not be able to dig themselves out of it before the playoffs arrive. 

Anaheim's offense has been doing better of late, with the aging Teemu Selanne leading the way and reigning MVP Corey Perry behind him.

With a tag like "MVP" surrounding a player, a team should be in playoff contention.

But alas, no.

The Ducks have an abysmal 6-11-6 road record, and the next eight games will be on the road for the Ducks. By the end of the road trip, the Ducks could be a seller for sure. 

Jonas Hiller is the starting goaltender for the Ducks, but he has not been the goalie he was supposed to be. Hiller has posted a 2.80 GAA and .906 save percentage. Numbers like that will not bring a team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hiller has to play fantastic in order for the team to have any form of success in these final months.

The Ducks currently are in the neutral zone, caught between being buyers or sellers. After this road trip, I believe the Ducks will be selling their team, starting with Hiller, and try to rebuild a team that can win California its second Stanley Cup.

Contender: Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs are in the midst of a six-year playoff drought, without a Stanley Cup for the past 43 season.

This year, the Leafs are going to have a shot at ending both. 

Toronto has been playing good, consistent hockey all year, never going on a long winning or losing streak. Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have been scoring machines for the Leafs and a major part of the team's success.

Leaf Nation has made it difficult to play in their rink, as the Leafs have posted a 16-8-4 home record, while also playing fairly well on the road, going 12-12-2 away from Air Canada Centre.

In goal, time has been favoring Jonas Gustavsson, but the play between Gustavsson and Reimer have been generally good. Both goalies have been putting up similar numbers, with Gustavsson having a 2.74 GAA and .909 save percentage, and Reimer with a 2.71 GAA and .911 save percentage.

Their play, along with the defensive qualities of Dion Phaneuf, has allowed the Leafs to be in a playoff spot for most of the campaign.

Leaf Nation has a lot to look forward to in the next coming months. The Leafs are in prime position to make the playoffs by possibly grabbing a player at the trade deadline.

Next year, Toronto will be playing in the Winter Classic.

The Maple Leafs are back in hockey's elite.  

Pretender: New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have never been in a verifiable playoff spot this season.

Lately, however, the team has gone on a 6-2-2 run in the last 10 games and are pushing for a playoff spot. This trend is going to stop, and the Islanders will be sellers once again.

The Islanders have their fair share of big names, but just like the Ducks, it's too little too late.

John Tavares has been the bright spot for the club, leading the team in scoring in his third season with the team. The team is -24 on the season, however, and posting a mediocre 11-11-5 home record. The Islanders need to perform much better to even have a chance at a playoff spot. 

Another big name for the Islanders is starting goalie Evgeni Nabokov.

Nabokov has posted fairly good numbers in his return from Russia, with a .925 save percentage and a 2.21 GAA. However, currently the Islanders have five goalies on the roster, one of which is Rick DiPietro, who is extremely injury-prone. The Islanders will have to get rid of one, and most likely the only one teams will target is Nabokov. 

The Islanders are in a Catch-22 situation.

They need scoring in order to get anywhere this season, and the only way to get it is to give Nabokov away.

Either way, the Islanders are going to have to wait until next season to see the postseason. 

Contender: Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals may have the best playoff position in the league and they're just starting to get hot at the right time.

The St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants proved that a team doesn't need to be the best team in the league, just the hottest team going into the playoffs. 

The Caps are not lead by the usual Alex Ovechkin, but rather Nicklas Backstrom. However, Ovechkin is just one point behind Backstrom and will take over the lead in just a few days at most. While Backstrom has bee sidelined with a concussion for the last few weeks, his leadership with the team continues off the ice. 

Ovechkin started off extremely slow, but has picked it up lately. The Caps are fantastic at home, posting a 19-7-1 home record but are terrible on the road with a 9-14-3 record away from the Verizon Center.

Luckily for the Capitals, they have a pretty even mix of home and away, so they can iron out any wrinkles in the away games. 

Goaltender Tomas Vokoun has been a solid offseason signing, posting a 2.47 GAA and a .920 save percentage. His play has been somewhat streaky throughout the year, but when he is hot, he as the ability to shutout any team. 

The Capitals have always played extremely well in the regular season only to have their Stanley Cup dreams crushed early on. Perhaps this year the tides will change, and the good regular season will translate into a great playoff season. 

Pretender: Phoenix Coytoes

The Phoenix Coyotes have been a very odd team these past few seasons. Despite having ownership problems and lack of loyal fans, the team has been able to make the playoffs.

This year, however, these factors finally take their toll.

The Coyotes have been good both at home and away, posting records of12-10-4 and 13-11-4, respectively. Winning both at home and away is good, but the 'Yotes won't be able to keep it up for the remainder of the season.

Captain Shane Doan has yet to even sniff the Stanley Cup's trail, and with the lack of stability of the club, I see the team trading him away to a contender for some high draft picks. When Doan leaves, the team will be left in the hands of leading scorer Ray Whitney, but without the leadership experience, the Coyotes will fall apart down the stretch.

Another reason the team will be headed to the Arizona golf courses in April is because of Mike Smith—not because of his play particularly, but because the team no longer has Ilya Bryzgalov in net anymore. His play was a major reason that the team made it to the playoffs. Smith has recorded a .923 save percentage and a 2.43 GAA.   

The Coyotes do not have a stable market and could possibly be on the move. Missing the playoffs this year will not help Phoenix's cause to keep the team. 

Contender: Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche are trying to have a great bounce-back season and make the playoffs following last year's campaign that ended with the team finishing in 14th place in the Western Conference.

If the Avs play their cards right, they could be in the top eight this time around. 

The Avalache have been riding the play of leading scorer Ryan O'Reilly. The team has not been playing its best hockey recently with a 4-5-1 record in its last 10 games, but the team will be able to turn it around. The Avs will spend the majority of their second half on the road where they have posted a 12-12-2 record. 

The goaltending situation in Colorado has been a little frustrating for the club. The Avalanche signed Seymon Varlamov hoping he would be the answer, but so far he has posted a 3.00 GAA and .898 save percentage. Obviously, it is not what the Avs had hoped for.

However, back-up Jean-Sebastion Giguere has played fantastically, with a 2.09 GAA and .923 save percentage. If the Avs can figure out the goalie situation, then the team can play more aggressively, knowing their goalies will have their backs.

The Avalanche have a long road to make the playoffs.

I think the team can make it there, however, if they play great hockey for the last few months and get some help from the other teams in the conference.