The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Eastern Conference: Playoff Locks and Contenders

Which Eastern Conference Teams are a lock for the Playoffs?

Jun 30, 2024; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) raises the cup during the Stanley Cup victory parade and celebration. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

3 of 4

Almost Certainly Not Making It

Columbus, Montreal and Detroit have basically no chance.

The Blue Jackets are a ridiculous franchise and if they were actually good, I'd have to re-assess everything.

Are jean-jackets still cool? Do I still like rap music? Coffee? Long walks on the beach with Benji the Austrailian Sheppard?

If Columbus was a good team, the world would tilt on its axis, is what I'm saying.

But also, don't worry about it, cause they won't be.

The Red Wings are teaching us a lesson about overrated GMs and seem like a perpetual bubble team. The Blue Jackets and Canadiens are starting to assemble good players, due to prolonged suckage, but they will still be bad.

The Capitals did a lot of stuff to try and make Ovechkin's final yeas fun, but they won't be.

The Flyers will still be fairly awful, and the Islanders are, like Detroit, just a bubble team going nowhere.

Of the 11 teams fighting for 3 spots, we have eliminated Columbus, Montreal, Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia and Long Island.

That leaves:

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