All Seven Canadian Teams Eliminated from NHL Playoff Contention

Can this really be happening? An NHL postseason without any Canadian hockey teams playing. On Wednesday, the Ottawa Senators were eliminated from any postseason contention meaning that all seven of the teams based in Canada will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs.

This is the first time since 1970 or 46 years that no team from Canada will be playing for the Stanley Cup.

What it means to start is there will not be quite as must buzz during the spring NHL postseason. Believe or not when teams from Canada are playing there is much more coverage, more fans involved which was easy to see across social media one season ago when five of the seven teams in Canada reached the playoffs.

It means as well that the drought for a Stanley Cup winner in Canada will continue. The last Canadian team to bring home the Cup was back in 1993 when the Montreal Canadians won the coveted silver mug.

There will be a time however, when the Cup will be in Canada during the summer as members of the Cup winning team who are from Canada will bring it to their homes for a day.

Canadian teams might not be playing in the playoffs, but the stars from Canada that lead this sport are very much in the mix and will have a great deal of influence in the outcome of who will lift the Cup this spring.

The seven Canadian teams are already looking at next season, The big question might not be how will the playoffs be without a Canadian team, but what is going to happen next season.

If Carey Price is healthy, Montreal will once again enter the discussion in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs next season.

The Calgary Flames need a strong goaltender. If the team finds one during the offseason, their name will be penciled in for a playoff contender.

Winnipeg dropped this season unexpectedly and despite that has the players to reach the playoffs.

Ottawa will likely have a different coach and a change behind the bench and a few players with experience and the Senators are back in the hunt.

The remaining three – Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto – have a long road ahead of them before they can call themselves or anyone sees them as being playoff contenders.

There may be Canadian team back in the NHL postseason next year, but you can almost be certain the Stanley Cup drought for teams north of the border will continue.