Tag: colorado-avalanche

2026-27 NHL Western Conference Playoff Picks

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The western conference is in a championship drought. Vegas won the championship in 2023. Three years have passed and no team in the west has come close after Edmonton forced a game seven against Florida in 2024. All 16 teams in this conference have massive amounts of pressure to not just win the Stanley Cup, but to at least make it to the finals and force the eastern opponent to play scared.

Despite the desperation, the conference had the most entertaining playoffs. Many viewers were stunned at Anaheim’s progression last season. Minnesota finally won a first round series for the first time in a decade. Utah held their own and looks like a breakout team this season. This could also be a last dance for Dallas and Los Angeles’ star-studded rosters. Finally, no matter the success teams have out west, Colorado and Vegas remain the big names every team must get past. Eight incredibly deep and talented teams will make the 2027 Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s time to break down which teams in each division have the best chances to make the 2026-27 postseason.

Central: Colorado Avalanche

As long as coach Jared Bednar is with Colorado, the Avalanche will make the playoffs.

It would take the annihilation of the state of Colorado for the Avalanche not to make the playoffs. Even if 75% of the roster is on injured reserve, coach Jared Bednar would find a way to get this team into the postseason. Easiest pick in the conference.

Minnesota Wild

The biggest hurdle Minnesota had to clear last season was winning a playoff series. Now they can play like a championship favorite many predicted they would be in the past. The stacked roster will go blow for blow with the Avalanche all year.

Utah Mammoth

Unlike the NHL Network, this website has Karel Vejmelka as (at least) a top ten goaltender. Vejmelka is a big reason why Utah made the playoffs last year, and their depth behind him is better this season.

Utah put on a show in the playoffs against the western conference champion Golden Knights. The Mammoth’s young core isn’t in their prime yet, but they do show improvement every year. From coach Andre Tourigny to the fourth line, Utah should be the team to watch in the central division this season. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they wind up as the third best team and go further in the 2027 playoffs than they did in 2026.

Dallas Stars

There’s no doubt Dallas has top tier talent to make the postseason. One thing the Stars lack are players who enjoy playing physical and making goaltenders uncomfortable for more than one period. General manager Jim Nill traded most of those players away and it cost Dallas in the 2026 playoffs. Nill has to get some of the depth back and the Stars have to continue playing better defense. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are another season closer to retirement and Dallas has to find a way to get them back into the championship round.

Pacific: Vegas Golden Knights

A roster this deep will return to the 2027 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Vegas is the favorite in the pacific to make it back to the playoffs. While the defense has to continue last seasons improvement, the offense and special teams should be more than enough to get the Golden Knights a top three spot in the division.

Los Angeles Kings

Anze Kopitar may have retired but Los Angeles still has an incredible roster. While new captain Drew Doughty is also close to retirement, the offense should be in the NHL’s top half in scoring while the defense continues to snuff out scoring chances. As long as the Kings don’t run into Colorado or Edmonton in the first round again, they should be fine.

San Jose Sharks

Is the third year the charm for San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini to make the playoffs? Additional help signed and drafted in the offseason combined with a bastion of minor league talent should be the difference this year.

Move over Connor McDavid and Edmonton. There is a younger, more gifted and standout league darling who is the next big thing. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini made all-time great parallels with his stats, play and comparisons last season while the Sharks barely missed out on a playoff spot. The pacific division is clearly the worst of the four, but that could change if San Jose takes the next step or two this season.

The Sharks also did what the Oilers failed to do with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the past: they added more skill on defense while growing their minor league systems. Buffalo traded them third year defenseman Phil Kesselring and San Jose signed former captain Jacob Trouba. Trouba’s physical play and veteran experience are more valuable than his speed (of which the Sharks have plenty on offense and defense). That will help Darnell Nurse play a more limited role in this defense and make San Jose a more formidable opponent for every team this season.

Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson (91) signed a lucrative five year, $90 million extension in the offseason. That could come back to bite the Ducks’ championship chances.

At this moment there is little to no confidence that Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle and Vancouver will make the playoffs. Two teams are in long-term re-builds, one is just terrible for fun and the other is about to have a firesale by next season. That leaves Anaheim as the lone option standing.

It’s possible the Ducks are just as good, if not better than last season. Anaheim’s problem is they lost some good defensive players in John Carlson and Jacob Trouba to extend younger stars like Leo Carlsson. The defensive losses in free agency weren’t patched up and coach Joel Quenneville is not the type to favor defense first. The Ducks will have an interesting season since there weren’t high hopes for them last year. This year, Anaheim will be taken more seriously almost every night by their rivals and out of conference opponents.

Regular season western conference playoffs prediction record: 6-2

2026 NHL Western Conference First Round Playoff Predictions

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This will be an interesting first round in the western conference. There are thrilling rivalries and new teams ready to gain playoff experience. The President’s trophy winner Colorado Avalanche will face everyone’s best no matter the round. Dallas and Edmonton again have pressure to make it back to the conference championship while Minnesota will face more criticism if they can’t get past the first round. Anaheim and Utah look to upend everyone’s predictions while Los Angeles and Vegas make another push to return to the championship round. Most teams have their hands full against deep rosters wanting a conference finals appearance. It is time to break down and predict which four teams have the best chance of advancing to the second round.

#6 Anaheim Ducks v. #5 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton gets another first round opponent from southern California. However, this time it is not Los Angeles.

This may be the easiest series to predict in either conference. The reigning western conference champion Oilers may not have former MVP forward Leon Draisaitl, but that won’t stop them against a young, inexperienced Anaheim team grateful to be back in the playoffs. Edmonton’s speed, scoring depth and massive advantages on special teams means this will be a fast series with or without Draisaitl.

Prediction: Oilers win series 4-0

#4 Minnesota Wild v. #3 Dallas Stars

The first official matchup of the NHL playoffs should be one of this year’s best.

Commissioner Gary Bettman must fix the playoff seeding at some point. It’s unfair that one of the central division’s three best teams has to be eliminated against a rival in the first round. Both Dallas and Minnesota look like complete teams that could give any opponent in the other three divisions fits. Sadly, one has to go home.

Most likely, that team is the Wild. Minnesota struggles to get depth scoring past their first two lines. The Stars are also the more experienced playoff team and defend better in front of the net. The Wild are more physical, but Dallas is more determined to get back to the championship round after fizzling out the last two years in the conference finals.

Prediction: Stars win series 4-2

#8 Los Angeles Kings v. #1 Colorado Avalanche

Colorado will play a nasty, physical series with Los Angeles.

Wonderful news for Los Angeles: they finally get a first round playoff opponent that isn’t Edmonton. Terrible news for Los Angeles: it’s against the NHL’s best Colorado Avalanche. The Kings finally figured out how to fix their offense with interim coach D.J. Smith, but that won’t be enough against what many believe are the most complete team in either conference. Coach Jared Bednar is back behind the bench after taking a puck to the face recently, and MVP front-runner Nathan MacKinnon is a nightmare once he sees open ice. The Kings have one of the NHL’s best defenses, but their lack of scoring and defensive depth will show the longer this series goes. At least franchise legend Anze Kopitar will end his fantastic career in the postseason playing against a Stanley Cup finals favorite.

Prediction: Avalanche win series 4-1

#7 Utah Mammoth v. #4 Vegas Golden Knights

Utah’s Vezina finalist Karel Vejmelka will be series MVP if the Mammoth get past Vegas.

This is my favorite western conference matchup. On paper, Vegas is the superior team with championship experience, a Stanley Cup winning coach and a deeper roster. However, Utah presents a lot of challenges to the Golden Knights.

Coach John Tortorella went 7-0-1 after Vegas hired him almost three weeks ago. The Golden Knights could be back to their dominant levels of years past. However, the Mammoth are a big test. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka is a Vezina finalist and took a big step forward being one of the NHL’s better players this season. Vejmelka handled a larger workload better than expected once backup/partner Connor Ingram went to Edmonton. Like a few teams in both conferences this round, Utah has a younger, talented scoring core unfamiliar with the playoffs. Despite these obvious disadvantages, Utah’s core was exceptional against quality opponents and wound up being the best team in the central division after the three headed hydra of Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota. That is certainly a big deal.

The Golden Knights’ coaching switch from Bruce Cassidy to John Tortorella came at the best time for them. Tortorella is dealing with disciplined veterans who know how to cleanly block shots, play more aggressive and defend better in front of the net. Even tenured Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny isn’t used to being in the postseason, and there will be a lot of growing pains top to bottom for Utah. While it’s obvious Vegas will win this series, the Mammoth will make the Golden Knights earn every win and learn a lot of valuable lessons this series.

Prediction: Golden Knights win series 4-2

Regular season western conference playoffs prediction record: 6-2