Predators
One Final, in 2017, and no Cup. Nashville has iced good teams for most of a decade and the postseason has kept ending early. The work here is figuring out which part of that is roster and which part is variance.
84
games in the 2026-27 NHL regular season, the first time the standard has moved in 31 seasons
The NHL added two games. Nashville's climb did not get shorter.
Two more games sounds like two more chances. It is not, because the playoff bar is a points total and it inflates by the same 84 over 82. Nashville's 86 points last season become 88, and the Western cutoff of 90 becomes 92.2.
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