<p>The NHL playoff races continue to look pretty wide open. As for the Canadian franchises: the Vancouver Canucks are relatively comfortable, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets hold down playoff positions, while the Edmonton Oilers are attempting&nbsp;to climb out of the basement under new coach Kris Knoblauch.</p>



<p>So, Roundtable:&nbsp;<strong>How many Canadian teams make the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs?</strong></p>



<p><strong>MATT LARKIN: Four</strong>. I had the Canucks and Leafs making it all along and still feel comfortable about their&nbsp;chances. The Jets have won me over because they are actually&nbsp;playing decent defensive hockey for arguably the first time in front of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. And with the Western Conference still looking weaker than normal this year, I expect the Oilers to continue their ascension. The Calgary Flames appear likely to adopt a seller posture based on the fact they moved Zadorov purely for picks; the Ottawa Senators don’t look like they have the juice to make it this season; and the Montreal Canadiens have no delusions about competing at the moment.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="169"></div>



<p><strong>FRANK SERAVALLI</strong>: I’m going to go out on&nbsp;a limb and say&nbsp;<strong>five</strong>. I’ll go with the obvious: Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg and … Calgary. Yes, I think even when the Flames sell off a few pieces, they’ll ask for some NHL players back (not just picks) and they’ll be equally as well positioned to grab the final playoff spot as, say, Arizona, Seattle, Nashville or St. Louis. Why not? They can change up the mix and still be in the mix. The Oilers are now back, that feels like a lock that they’ll make it now – they will be above .500 before Christmas. Outside of Calgary, the team I’m most concerned about their playoff spot is Toronto. The Leafs require some serious surgery to repair the holes in their blueline, and the longer they let those linger, the more perilous their playoff chances will be.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="145"></div>



<p><strong>MIKE GOULD: </strong>I’ll go ahead and say <strong>three</strong>: Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto. I just don’t think Calgary has the horses to get there, and I’m a little concerned about Winnipeg’s staying power with Minnesota starting to heat up and Arizona soaring up the standings. Vancouver has built up a great cushion, Edmonton looks to be back to normal, and Toronto is right there despite having an up-and-down start to the year. Those are my three.</p>



<p><strong>STEVEN ELLIS: </strong>Mike’s right here. <strong>Three. </strong>Edmonton, it’s only a matter of time. Toronto is a lock for sure. Winnipeg is looking better than expected, but I’m just not sold. Vancouver is a flawed team, but they’re making it work. Much better than I expected this season, and it’s giving me hope for the future of this franchise. I wouldn’t even be surprised if they make it the furthest this year, either.&nbsp;</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="147"></div>



<p><strong>SCOTT MAXWELL:&nbsp;</strong>I’m going to side with Matt on this one and say&nbsp;<strong>four</strong>: Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. While I don’t think Vancouver is as good as they were to start the year, they’re still a solid team and have banked enough points early on to stay in the race all year. Toronto certainly has their issues and aren’t the dominant powerhouse they’ve been in past seasons, but they are still a good team with high-end talent and should push for a playoff spot. Edmonton is trending upwards and it feels like they’ll inevitably find their way back in the picture, but that’s also one I’m not 100% confident in since they have a lot of ground to cover after the poor start that they had. And then while Winnipeg isn’t as good as Colorado and Dallas, I think they’re a step above everyone else in that second tier in the Central with Arizona, Nashville, St. Louis and Minnesota.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="158"></div>



<p>I could hear out a case for Calgary, but they have way too many inconsistencies and are selling off pieces so it’s hard to be confident in them. Ottawa’s bet on Joonas Korpisalo hasn’t worked out so far and they’re one of the worst play-driving teams in the league, which is a brutal combination for a team with playoff aspirations. And Montreal isn’t even in the conversation.</p>



<p>_____</p>



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