Happy Monday y'all! 

Hopefully you had a great weekend watching the start of the NHL playoffs (and WrestleMania)! Before we jump into the action, I always like to be hit with the bad news before the good so let's cover the postmortems of the teams that did not punch their tickets to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Vancouver Canucks – The Canucks finished with the worst record in the league and have the best odds at the first overall selection for this year's draft. They fired their general manager already, so let's see what other moves they make. I respect them for not firing first year head coach Adam Foote, but now with a new GM coming in, who knows how safe his job actually is.

Chicago Blackhawks – Another 31st place finish for the Blackhawks gives them another lottery pick and GM Kyle Davidson is rewarded with a contract extension. Chicago has amassed a number of young, exciting players, but if they finish in the cellar again next season, something is going to have to change.

Calgary Flames – The first team on this list that we expected to be down this low, the Flames had a nice developmental year and continued their rebuild by dealing Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri and added two first and five second round draft picks. One of their prized prospects, Zayne Parekh, scored a Cale Makar-esq goal in their final contest.

Seattle Kraken – Seattle was in the thick of the playoff race until they pooped the bed in the final weeks of the regular season. They were buyers at the trade deadline, acquiring Bobby McMann from the Toronto Maple Leafs. McMann fit like a glove, scoring 10 goals and 14 points in 18 games in the Emerald City, but with a limited free agency class, the winger may look to hit the market and cash in.

Winnipeg Jets – Connor Hellebuyck was not his Vezina self for the Jets this season, but he always gave Winnipeg a chance to win. When he got hurt in mid-November, the American goalie missed a month of action and this is when their season went downhill. The Jets went 3-8-1 when Hellebuyck was on IR and dug themselves into too big of a hole to recover. 

Nashville Predators – Talking about teams that dug themselves in a hole at the start of the season, the Predators were last in the league in mid-December. They found a groove, but it was too little too late. Ownership is looking for a new GM so we expect some change, but the question is will they blow it up or just tinker?

St. Louis Blues – Again, another team that was deep in the hole at one point this season, the Blues were massive sellers at the trade deadline, but almost snuck into the postseason. We'll find out next year if it was the return of Robert Thomas that woke the team up or if they were playing loose because they dealt key veterans and knew the end was near. Another city with a new GM coming in, they have the assets to make a big push this offseason or go in the opposite direction.

San Jose Sharks – After a sensational campaign from 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks were on the brink of getting a ticket to the big dance. The Sharks have a duo for the next decade in Celebrini and Will Smith, along with a stocked cupboard of other young players and draft capital.

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Now we'll jump into the four playoff series. If you haven't seen our experts picks, check them out here.

Colorado Avalanche vs Los Angeles Kings

I think everyone has the Avalanche in this series; the only question is will it end in four or five games. The Kings finished the regular season on a heater, thanks to Anton Forsberg, and he will be the X-factor. The Swedish goalie kept his team in it, but will he be able keep this up for the entire series?

Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild

I picked the Stars in this one, but the Wild thumped Dallas in Game 1. Sometimes a smashing like that wakes up their opponent so Game 2 will show us if the Stars can respond or if Minnesota is taking no prisoners.

Vegas Golden Knights vs Utah Mammoth

I have Vegas winning it all, but it looks like this series is going to be a rough one. Utah did not go down without a fight and had the lead heading into the third period. Vegas only has one loss (in overtime) under John Tortorella and are firing on all cylinders.

Edmonton Oilers vs Anaheim Ducks

The only series that has not started yet gets underway tonight. Anaheim is back in the playoffs for the first time in eight years while Edmonton wants to make it back to the Cup Finals for the third straight year. This series will come down to Connor McDavid (duh) because while the Oilers are top heavy, the Ducks have the depth to outlast Edmonton as they had seven skaters record at least 50 points this season.

Who do you have winning the Cup? Show me your bracket on Twitter, @LAM1926.

Have a great week y'all!