https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7203538/2026/04/18/stanley-cup-tiers-nhl-playoffs-ranking/?unlocked\_article\_code=1.b1A.SKUw.wVIAAVxM2aKs&source=athletic\_user\_shared\_gift\_article\_copylink&smid=url-share-ta This is one of the most un...

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7203538/2026/04/18/stanley-cup-tiers-nhl-playoffs-ranking/?unlocked\_article\_code=1.b1A.SKUw.wVIAAVxM2aKs&source=athletic\_user\_shared\_gift\_article\_copylink&smid=url-share-ta This is one of the most unique crops of Stanley Cup playoff teams we’ve seen in recent memory. Fans, media and statistical models are all making their predictions, but what do people inside the league think? We assembled a nine-person, anonymous panel of high-level NHL front-office executives and senior staff and asked each person to sort all 16 playoff teams into Tiers 1-5 and tallied the average votes. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7203538/2026/04/18/stanley-cup-tiers-nhl-playoffs-ranking/?unlocked\_article\_code=1.b1A.SKUw.wVIAAVxM2aKs&source=athletic\_user\_shared\_gift\_article\_copylink&smid=url-share-ta submitted by /u/TheAthletic [link] [comments]