Even though it’s been known for months, it’s still weird to go into the playoffs without the Chicago Blackhawks in it.
The Nashville Predators are the top team entering the playoffs as the Presidents’ Trophy winners. But being the best regular-season team rarely translate into postseason success; only eight times has the Presidents’ Trophy winner went on to win the Stanley Cup. The last team to win both the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season was the 2013 Blackhawks. People forget that.
Since then the 2015 New York Rangers are the only Presidents’ Trophy winner to advance past the second round.