Lots will be made in the season’s final week about teams like St. Louis, Columbus and Florida trying to make either their first playoff appearance in a long time or, in the Jackets’ case, ever.
Given all the organization has endured, maybe more attention should be directed at the fact the Nashville Predators have a good chance to make their fifth consecutive post-season appearance.
Through unstable ownership, salary dumps and Alexander Radulov’s stunning jump to the Kontinental League last summer, coach Barry Trotz once again has his disciplined team steered toward the post-season.
Nashville has yet to win a playoff round and likely won’t do it this year, either, but still, on a team with no real stars, give Trotz and GM David Poile credit for finding a way to keep this thing consistently on the rails.
The Hockey News ranks the teams 1-30 each Monday based on a combination of last week’s play and a squad’s overall outlook.
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