The Countdown: Team Pressure in 2019-20

For the longest-serving St. Louis Blues fans, it was a 52-year wait. The franchise joined the NHL as part of 1967-68 expansion and, after reaching the final in their first three years of existence, waited 49 years to return. Finally, the Blues have their first championship. Half a century of fans can die in peace now, and any sense of pressure on this franchise is long gone. St. Louis is easily the team furthest from the hot seat in 2019-20.

Which teams face the greatest pressure this coming season? The top of the list blends (a) great teams squarely in their championship windows; (b) emerging young teams due for steps forward; and, (c) perennially disappointing teams with fed-up fan bases. The bottom of the list includes some recent champions and rebuilding teams not expected to compete for the Stanley Cup until a few years from now.

For the sake of this exercise, markets matter. Canadian teams populate four of the top seven spots – five if you count Buffalo, a market with Canadian-caliber hockey fervor. In these cities, virtually every move is scrutinized during times of relative competitiveness, be it Cup contention or competing for the playoff bubble. The hockey-mad markets do gain a bit of patience during scorched-earth rebuilds. The Ottawa Senators have a lot of runway at the moment.

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