Well folks the playoffs are in full swing and we are already seeing some exciting games in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. However, while watching this exciting playoff hockey, we should not forget the other 14 teams whose season is already over. It has been a busy week for them as they try to asses what went wrong and begin to formulate their strategy for next season. The draft lottery was last week and some teams should get a nice boost from this seasons available draft prospects.
The past week saw 5 teams without coaches emerge, 4 because of a layoff and 1 because of a retirement. Florida, Minnesota, Dallas and Ottawa all fired their coaches but for different reasons. Ottawa and Florida and terrible seasons and in order to start their rebuilding fresh, both teams opted to go with new, unamed coaches. Minnesota and Dallas both were contenders during the season but both lost their edge in the second half, which is very dangerous in the strong Western Conference. The New Jersey Devils are also hiring a coach because Jaques Lemaire has retired again. The devils pulled him out of retirement to help fix the team that was in last place at Christmas. He got them to improve drastically and they almost got to the playoffs, but Lemaire doesn't want to have anything to do with them any more and wants to enjoy the retired life instead.
The draft lottery also had a big effect on the 14 non playoff teams. The Devils won the draw with near impossible odds against them allowing them to move up from eight the fourth in the selection process. The Oilers will once again pick first followed by the Avalanche and Panthers. The Senators lost because they traded away all of their veterans but still don't have a good selection, picking 6th. The Leafs, who still don't know where they will pick since their pick 9th overall pick belongs to Boston, are hoping that Boston and Philly lose in the opening round so that they don't have to pick in the bottom 10 selections.
The 14 teams who were on the outside looking are already looking ahead to next season and I am sure that some of them will be able to get in next season. With the all the teams getting closer to each other every year, any team can move up or down if they have a good season. But right now it's time to regroup, play some golf, and get ready for next season. And maybe watch some playoff games too.
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