McDavid and MacKinnon in hot pursuit of The Great One's record, analyzing what Travis Green brings to the Devils and trade talk heating up for Ottawa's Jakob Chychrun

It was only a joke.

But when Sportsnet's Colby Armstrong showed video of Toronto Maple Leafs fans chanting, "We want Boston!" outside of Scotiabank Arena during the first intermission of Monday night's game — it was later revealed that the clip was from a year ago — it raised an obvious question.

If you are the Leafs, which team would you rather play in the first round: the Bruins or the Panthers? Maybe a better question is, which team would you rather not face?

It's a question being asked not only in Toronto, but as well as in Edmonton and in Winnipeg, where finishing first doesn't just provide you with home-ice advantage — it also comes with the added benefit of avoiding some very tough opponents.

As evidenced by Monday night's 4-1 loss to the Bruins, which was the sixth straight loss to a team that has long had the Leafs' number, Toronto probably does not want to play Boston, which has the second-best record in the NHL. Then again, after losing to Florida in the second round of the playoffs last year, chances are also slim that the Leafs would want to face a Panthers team that has the best record in the league.

Finishing first in the Atlantic Division would allow the Leafs to avoid those pitfalls, by potentially playing either Tampa Bay (a team Toronto beat in the first round a year ago) or Detroit (a young team that hasn't been in the playoffs in seven years). 

Which is why there is argument to go all-in at the March 8 trade deadline in hopes of running the table and winning the Atlantic Division.

The same argument is there for the second-place Oilers, who if they don't catch the Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks could be looking at a rematch with the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights — a team, mind you, that could be loading up at the deadline with deals for Jake Guentzel and more. 

And then there's the Jets, who are clinging to top spot in the overly competitive Central Division. Again, if they don't finish first, Winnipeg could either face the Colorado Avalanche or the Dallas Stars. Neither is as ideal as potentially playing a wild card opponent, whether it is Nashville or Los Angeles.

Perhaps that is why fans shouldn't be chanting for who they want to face. Instead, maybe the chant should go something like this: "We want an easy opponent!"

Unfortunately, that probably also doesn't exist.

The Top 5 Trending Stories

1) Connor McDavid Chasing Down Nathan MacKinnon: Oilers and Avalanche forwards in hot pursuit of a Wayne Gretzky feat.

2) Flyers Still Exploring Negotiations With Seeler, Walker: "Our most consistent pairing." —John Tortorella

3) Action Around Jakob Chychrun has Reportedly ‘Picked up’ With Trade Deadline Nearing: As the defensemen market is shrinking, teams' interest on former Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun has reportedly gone up.

4) Devils Name Travis Green Interim Head Coach: The Devils made the announcement on Monday evening.

5) Former Penguins Forward Exploding With Blue Jackets: Pittsburgh Penguins won't have to wait long to see the kind of scoring touch a Alex Nylander has.