The NHL playoffs will commence Saturday with some notable turnover in the 16-team bracket.
Entering Sunday’s slate of games, four teams that didn’t compete last postseason — the Sabres, Mammoth, Penguins and Bruins — already qualified for this year’s dance. The Ducks, Flyers and Blue Jackets are still in the running to join them, with Anaheim having a chance to clinch Sunday night with a win against the Canucks.
Buffalo ended a historic playoff drought of 14 seasons. Utah made it in (technically) the organization’s second season of existence.
The Rangers are caught somewhere in the middle as they inch closer toward their second early summer in a row.
The Post’s Mollie Walker analyzes three turnarounds and what the Blueshirts could learn from them:
Bruins
Boston general manager Don Sweeney made a lot of home run decisions that turned his team around from 76 points last season to the 96 they carried into their matchup in Columbus on Sunday. This after coming off a tumultuous 2024-25 campaign, in which captain Brad Marchand was traded to Florida as part of a considerable deadline sell-off.
New Rangers (re)hire Kevin Maxwell can look at the fact that 10 of the players on the current Bruins roster were acquired via trade. A smashing success with Sweeney’s offseason signings — including Tanner Jeannot and Jonathan Aspirot — also filled organizational needs. Aspirot is now Charlie McAvoy’s top-pair partner.
Even if several players overperformed, the Bruins deployed a much more balanced offense this season. Depth scoring was pivotal in their push to clinching a playoff berth. The Rangers have been a top-heavy lineup for years. The Rangers know better than most that game-changing goaltending makes anything possible. Jeremy Swayman not only improved as the Bruins’ clear-cut No. 1 goalie when it mattered, but he was a real difference-maker down the stretch.
Boston’s return to the playoffs certainly wasn’t picture perfect. They’ve had three separate losing streaks of five or more games this season. It was still a process, which is what Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan references frequently. The Rangers had two really strong seasons that preceded their runs to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2024. It won’t always be that way, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be.
Utah
The Mammoth were on a five-game winning streak when they clinched the organization’s first playoff berth. Without rehashing the disaster that was the Arizona Coyotes, a commitment was made to a trio of first-round draft picks — Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther — that has significantly paid off. They were nurtured. Cooley and Guenther have enjoyed breakout seasons and the young Utah core seems to be clamoring for a crack at the playoffs.
The Rangers’ largely failed track record with their organizationally grown prospects is well documented. Special circumstances surrounding the transition from the desert to Salt Lake City meant the club had to be patient, but with the geographical shift came a cultural one. Most of that came with a change in ownership. Ryan Smith has been lauded for his handling of the players and staffers during the move.
There is no indication MSG sports executive James Dolan, who owns the Rangers and Knicks, is going anywhere, but Utah is proof the most significant changes can stem from the very top down.
Penguins
Projected to face-plant coming into this season, the Penguins proved a lot of people wrong. Pittsburgh, which hasn’t reached the postseason since 2022 and hasn’t won a single series since 2018, was rejuvenated by a new coach, remarkable play from the Big Three and the players GM Kyle Dubas surrounded them with. The Penguins probably emulated the closest process to a “retool,” which is what the Rangers are striving for.
Never underestimate the power of impactful leaders. Captain Sidney Crosby is one of a kind. His trio with Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang is one of the greatest to do it in all of professional sports history. The fact that they have each had strong individual seasons at ages 38 and 39, respectively, has been nothing short of incredible.
So much of what the Rangers become will hinge on captain J.T. Miller and what he brings both on and off the ice. This is who Blueshirts president and general manager Chris Drury chose to be the guy. Miller has had his moments this season, both positive and negative, but it was all hindered by injuries throughout the season. Ex-Rangers assistant Dan Muse provided a fresh voice and presence behind the Penguins bench as well.
Dubas was able to rebalance and restructure the lineup, which benefited the most from the additions of Anthony Mantha, Egor Chinakhov and rookie Ben Kindel.
