Blackhawks: The Preds making the playoffs would be better than the Stars

The Chicago Blackhawks are going through a rough time right now. The team is in the midst of a rebuild and it is not fun seeing the rest of their divisional rivals succeed. So why in the world am I saying it would be good for the Predators to make the playoffs?

The Predators and Stars are the two teams competing for the fourth spot in the playoffs from the Central Division. For a long time, we have known that it was going to be one of the three teams, Hawks Preds or Stars, but now it is down to two, and it is close.

Next season hopefully the Blackhawks will be back in their traditional Central Division. Nothing against the new guys, but the Lightning Hurricanes and Panthers are just too good. I do not think any team would do well playing a team like that three times in a row no matter how far they have come in a season.

The Blackhawks do not play the Predators again this season, but they do have a few more matchups against the Stars to end the year. Those two games should feature some big plays from the bash brothers in their first time in front of fans in the United Center this season.

The Blackhawks are bigger rivals with the Predators than Stars, but I still feel like it makes more sense for Nashville to make it.

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Whoever does make the playoffs this season is working for the honor of getting destroyed by the Carolina Hurricanes. I understand it is the playoffs and anything can happen, but logic says whoever gets that fourth spot will lose four games and be further down the line in the draft.

If I had to spend some time watching the Hurricanes demolish a team and take comfort in the fact that they then will be drafting a few picks later than they were supposed to then I want to watch the Predators all day.

Last season this script was flipped. The Hawks made it to the playoffs and then missed out on some good draft picks in the top 15. The Predators actually drafted the goalie the Hawks probably would have went after if they weren’t so much later in the draft.

Chances are the Predators are not going to win the Stanley Cup, so the time is now for them to make it and do nothing in the first round then go into next season contemplating whether or not to blow the team up in order to plan for the future.