Postseason roundtable: NHL player, coach, GM predict the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs

Stanley Cup playoff predictions will arrive at a furious pace this week from pundits, analysts and fans. Those perspectives are informative, but they're from the outside looking in on the NHL.

So we decided to borrow an idea from Academy Awards season. Ever read those anonymous Oscar ballots where a director, a producer and an actor give their candid thoughts on the nominees? We decided to apply that template to the Stanley Cup playoffs to glean insight from those on the inside.

Here are a veteran Eastern Conference player, a Western Conference coach and an NHL general manager with their outlooks on the postseason, as well as who they think the league MVP should be after the regular season.

Which team is better than it's given credit for?

Player: Pittsburgh. I think they're starting to get a little bit more credit. But after we played Pittsburgh, I'm like, 'They're just f---ing good, man.' They'll beat whoever they play in the first round.

Erik Karlsson has been on another level. I don't know if it's them rallying around Sid [Crosby] and [Evgeni] Malkin or what, but they're just really good. I think the style of game that they play, they're so structured. Their new coach [Dan Muse] ... I hadn't even heard of him before, but whatever he's preaching, they're buying in.

Coach: I think people have become numb to Carolina being up there. And I think the East is funny. There's a lot of good teams, and there's a lot of points and all that, but I don't know that there's this elite elite team.

Carolina's a team that just continues to do what they do. It feels like they're going to break through to an even greater degree. I don't want to downplay the success they've had. They've had more success than people give them credit for. They just haven't gotten to the Final. And it just feels, to me, like they're a team that is poised to potentially break past their barriers.

GM: Tampa Bay. Come April 16, the coaches, the staff and the players all know exactly what they need to do to be as good as they can be. I don't look at how old they are. I just look at how they play. They've been there. They're all prepared.

Which team has the potential to flop in the playoffs?

Player: Colorado. So many things have gone right for Colorado all year. You've just got to wonder if something's not going to go for them. I would say that it's almost like the bar has been set so high by Colorado with how good they've been all year. I feel like unless they win it all, it'll be a disappointment. And they have to go through the meat grinder to get there.

Coach: I don't want to be a downer, but I would say probably Buffalo. A lot of stuff, I think, has gone right. They've done an unbelievable job. They've had an unbelievable ride, but it is a learned experience at times in the playoffs, and there'll be a lot of guys in their first playoff setting for them.

Analytically, when you look at their record, they've probably out-won compared with expected goals. So there's probably a chance that they might not perform to the level that they've had during the season. But who knows? Sometimes it's good to be young and dumb.

GM: Everybody does.

Dallas vs. Minnesota: Who do you have?

Player: Oh God. That [Miro] Heiskanen injury the other day was concerning. Him not playing the rest of the regular season wasn't a good sign, and I think he's been dealing with something earlier in the year, too. If Dallas is fully healthy, I'm taking Dallas. If Roope Hintz is actually himself, Heiskanen is actually himself, I'm taking Dallas. But I think Minnesota is literally going to try and beat the s--- out of you, and they're actually pretty good at it.

Coach: First off, those are two great teams. It's as tight as you can get as to who wins and who doesn't -- but that doesn't mean it's going seven. It just means every game is going to come down to a play here and there, because they are built for the playoffs in their own ways.

In the end, I'm going to go with Minnesota. Both teams have super-dynamic players, but Minnesota's top guy might be just a tad bit better than Dallas' top guy at each position. I'll give them the nod, but that's going to be a razor-thin margin.

GM: Based on home ice, maybe Dallas? But John Tortorella always had this philosophy that he likes to start on the road in the first round. The home team's got the fans and there are banners all over town and there are team cupcakes at a grocery store, and there are friends and families. ... Meanwhile, the road team is just all together having meetings in the hotel.

By the way, it's awesome that they're playing in the first round. You're going to get a Stanley Cup Final-type first-round series. And then I still think you're going to get a Stanley Cup Final-type Stanley Cup Final, too. But the truth of the matter about Dallas and Minnesota is that we never know. Someone could end up sweeping the other team.

Who will win the Stanley Cup?

Player: Carolina. It's their conference to lose. They don't have Florida to deal with this season. I don't know what the numbers say, but it seems like they're scoring more. Having a third line that good is a such a luxury. Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis are as elite a top line as there is in the NHL.

I really like Tampa, too. But the only thing with Tampa is they're almost trying too hard to be the physical team, you know what I mean? They're just not that. It just seems a little bit forced. You're almost trying too hard from that sense. I think Tampa should be favored just because [Nikita] Kucherov's on another level.

Coach: I've got to say Colorado. I just think in the end, they've got the best team. They're the deepest team. They've got the high-end talent. They're going to do it with probably two unheralded goalies, but I think it's happened before. The Presidents' Trophy curse might be the only concern I have.

GM: Tampa Bay. I think [GM Julien BriseBois] has done a really good job of bringing in the role players to supplement their core. They keep bringing guys in. And they've got the goalie, and they've got Kucherov.

Which player should win the Hart Trophy this season?

Player: It's Macklin Celebrini. What's he, 40 or 50 points ahead of the next-closest guy on that team? He actually works hard in the zone. To get 100 points as a 19-year-old is just f---ing outrageous.

But on top of that, to do it on a non-playoff team, to get that team even close to playoffs when they really weren't even in the conversation, I think he's just having an unbelievable year.

Coach: Nikita Kucherov. I think you look at the injuries that Tampa Bay has had -- and they've had an unbelievable amount of them -- that guy has carried them to one of the best records in the league. He's done it with points. He's done it with his two-way play. He committed to putting that team on his back and winning, and I think he's had the biggest impact of anybody.

GM: The kid. Celebrini. It's insane. And the manner in which he does it, the way he plays hockey, he doesn't cheat anything. He just f---ing plays.