Good morning and happy hockey, everyone. I started writing a comment in the daily thread asking which fanbases are the most- and least-salty about their playoff exits, and then I realized this should be its own post. I also realized I should have ...

Good morning and happy hockey, everyone. I started writing a comment in the daily thread asking which fanbases are the most- and least-salty about their playoff exits, and then I realized this should be its own post. I also realized I should have done one of these after the first round as well, but as the Golden Knights organization knows, you cannot rectify the mistakes of the past. In formulating these rankings, I considered each team's preseason expectations, final regular-season standings (just points and conference ranking), The Athletic's playoff pressure rankings (paywalled), and various other intangibles. Please note that these rankings are just for playoff teams (i.e., no Florida or Winnipeg), and just for playoff teams that have been eliminated (i.e., no Vegas or Montreal. Yet.). Tier 5: We Were Just Happy to Be There 12: Philadelphia Flyers (preseason ranking: 29th; final standings: 98 points (t-7th in East); pressure ranking: 13th) -- On the one hand, Flyers fans have a reputation for ... let's say "disgruntlement" ... that is not entirely undeserved. But on the other hand, if at the beginning of the season you told even the Gritty-est Philly fan that the team would not only make the playoffs this year, but beat the Penguins and advance to the second round, they would have spit out their cheesesteak in joy. 11: Anaheim Ducks (preseason: 24th; 92 pts (t-6th in West); playoff pressure: 16th) -- I admittedly did not watch many regular-season Ducks' games this year, but in the playoffs I saw a talented young team that could maybe use some improvement in goal and on defense. Which as every Wings fan knows are simple fixes. 10: Utah Mammoth (preseason: 17th; 92 pts (t-6th in West); playoff pressure: 14th) -- Sort of a similar story to Anaheim, except Utah came into the season with somewhat higher expectations. And next year they will still be a talented young team with even loftier expectations. Tier 4 -- So-So Teams With (Relatively) Recent Success 9: L.A. Kings (preseason 10th; 90 pts (8th in West); playoff pressure: 10th) -- The Kings' moderate preseason expectations were sufficiently tempered over the course of the season so that no one should have been surprised to see them barely making the last playoff spot in the West. Or getting swept by the Avalanche for that matter. 8: Boston Bruins (preseason: 27th; 100 pts (5th in East); playoff pressure: 15th) -- The Bruins came into the season with low expectations, but managed to put together a surprisingly strong season before running into a talented Buffalo team. Maybe they'll ride Swayman to another strong season next year, or maybe they'll fall back to the pack; but either way, the Bruins have won the Cup recently enough where no one should be crying in Boston. 7: Pittsburgh Penguins (preseason: 28th; 98 pts (t-7th in East); playoff pressure: 8th) -- A similar story as Boston, with bonus points for the "one last dance for Sid and Geno" narrative and losing to their cross-state rivals. Tier 3 -- Moderate Expectations Denied 6: Minnesota Wild (preseason: 12th; 104 pts (3rd in West); playoff pressure: 7th) -- The good news is they made it to the second round (more on that later), which is a great step for what is still a fairly young core. The bad news is that more could have been reasonably expected from a team with this much talent, particularly after the Hughes trade. 5: Buffalo Sabres (preseason: 25th; 109 pts (2nd in East); playoff pressure: 11th) -- The Sabres are a hard team to place. On the one hand, they are a young team that came into the season with almost zero expectations. On the other hand, they had an amazing season and finished with one of the best records in the league. On the third hand, they beat a strong Boston team and made it to the second round. On the fourth hand, it's Buffalo, and sports heartbreak is practically written into the city charter. On the fifth hand, I'm concerned about all of these hands I'm sprouting. I don't know. I'm putting them here. 4: Ottawa Senators (preseason: 15th; 99 pts (6th in East); playoff pressure: 9th) -- Similar to the Sabres, there's an argument that making the playoffs should be enough for the Sens, but general franchise malaise coupled with frustration over the Carolina series gives them a slight edge here. Tier 2 -- Legitimate Stanley Cup Aspirations 3: Dallas Stars (preseason: 3rd; 112 pts (2nd in West); playoff pressure: 4th) -- A tremendous jump in saltiness as we get down to the Big 3, all of which had at least a decent shot at lifting the Cup this year. Dallas was always going to have to go through the buzzsaw that is the Colorado Avalanche, but fans might have reasonably expected that they at least would be able to get past the Wild. Could we get some more water for the table please? 2: Tampa Bay Lightning (preseason: 11th; 106 pts (t-3rd in East); playoff pressure: 2nd; and please remember to hold your applause until the end) -- I went back and forth between the Stars and the Lightning. The Stars came into the season looking stronger and finished with more points (albeit in the weaker West), but the Lightning were looking like the champions of old, right up until they weren't. Tier 1 -- The Edmonton Oilers 1: Edmonton Oilers (preseason: 2nd; 93 pts (5th in West); playoff pressure: 1st) -- What a miserable year for Oilers fans and what a miserable year for Connor McDavid, who seems to have gained his hockey talents via a wish upon an evil monkey's paw. With Florida out of the playoffs, many of us thought this might be the Oil's year, but a spunky Anaheim team (aided by some less-than-inspired defensive play) had other plans. Congratulations, Edmonton fans. Wear your crown of salt with pride. submitted by /u/sadolddrunk [link] [comments]