Every year, there are a few teams that take us by surprise when they miss the playoffs. Last season, we saw the Tampa Bay Lightning drop from making the Stanley Cup Final and Eastern Conference Final in 2014-15 and 2015-16 to missing the postseason entirely in 2016-17. The Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars both dropped out of the playoffs after winning their divisions the previous season.
So who will it be this time around?
Predicting which franchises will disappoint is tricky because their demise is often caused by the injury bug or poor goaltending, but this season there are several clubs whose rosters aren't as strong, or that play in divisions that got tougher. Let's have a look at six teams, three from each conference, in particular.