Most Shocking Qualifying Round Upset?

[Maggot]

Prediction: Even with the goaltending controversy, Vegas stomps the Hawks in the first round. Proves that the Hawks over Oilers was the biggest upset of the first round.

[30ranfordfan]

I completely agree on Patrick Kane being a top five player and it seems as he just keeps getting better every year. Something people don't realize is that the whole time playing in Chicago he has never had consistent line mates. It seems as if every other year or so he plays with a new center or winger.

You have to remember Chicago is the youngest team in the playoffs and are probably going to get younger next season. Hopefully the playoff experience the younger players are getting this year will help them play more consistent next year, I just hope the management lets Colliton stick around for a few years and see what he does with the younger players.

Maybe part of Edmonton's D problem is that they are not paired together the right way. I don't watch them enough to know.

Rumor in Chicago was that Lehner wanted 6+ million a year, but he also wanted like 5-6 years. I think Chicago didn't want to give him that many years. I have never been a fan of Crawford. I don't think he is as good as many people think he is. I hated the contract they gave him and was hoping he was gone after this year, but I think he will get resigned for another year or two.

Kane is also a fun one to talk about, regarding the Oilers. Chicago won the lottery that year. They & Edmonton were tied for the 5th worst record. Edmonton held the tie breaker, so they were slotted into the 6th spot, and Chicago 5th. In the final game of the regular season, the Blackhawks were beating Dallas 2-1 in the 3rd. Stars tied it up, and scored the winner with less than 4 minutes to go. If Chicago had won, or even gotten to OT, their record would have been better then Edmonton's, and they would have flipped spots in the lottery. Assuming the #5 slot still wins, Edmonton would have landed Kane.

I do realize that Chicago is a very young team. Please don't take my comment of "they're a bad team" to mean I don't recognize they've got some very good pieces there, or that I think they're doing a bad job of rebuilding. I don't think that at all. I just don't think the team, as it exists today, is very good.... that could change quickly though.

Edmonton's D: I just think that everyone of them is playing one slot higher in the depth chart than they should be. I think adding the right player (i.e. a true top-end dman) would instantly make their d core look strong (top third of the league, maybe higher) rather than week.

Lehner is a weird one. He's really good. I do buy him as a legit starter (I'm also with you on Crawford). Lehner has bounced around enough, to make me think that there's something up there (personality, attitude, whatever). Buffalo gave up on him early. He was great with the NYI, and they let him walk. Chicago gives him one year.... he was the better of their two goalies... and they move on from him, even though both guys are slated to being UFAs ? If he wants 6 years, and I'm a GM, I probably say "no thanks" too. 20 million for 3 years? Yeah, I think he's earned that - but I would want no part of handing a 5 or 6 year deal to a 29 year old goalie.