My NHL 2024 Playoffs Bracket

I don't always do a hockey playoff bracket. But when I do, I always pick the Jets to win the cup. I'm loyal to a fault.

I don't have any deep NHL wisdom to offer. I haven't watched every game possible or obsessed over stats. I just started the year thinking that the Winnipeg Jets, my favorite team, were in for a rebuilding weird kind of year and then suddenly they were doing way better than I expected.

Most regulation wins in the league (46)
Fewest goals against (199)
Finished fourth in the league overall, top Canadian team.
Heading into the playoffs on an 8 game winning streak.

Which is why I called this one my "Jets Dream" bracket because it's me thinking with 100% of my heart and 70% of my head - other than knowing the Leafs aren't making it past the Bruins, everything else is my best guess. 😄

A playoff bracket that shows the finals as being Winnipeg Jets vs NY Rangers, with the Jets being the Stanley Cup Champions for the 2023 / 2024 season.

There would also be some petty delight in seeing the Jets beat the Rangers in the finals since the Rangers have former Jets Blake Wheeler, Jack Roslovic, & Jacob Trouba on their roster. The Jets have former Rangers Vladislav Namestnikov, Morgan Barron, and Neal Pionk all performing much better than they did for the Rangers.

The First Two Rounds are the Best Hockey in a Season

I enjoy the first two rounds of NHL playoffs. The energy and excitement is there for the players and fans. By the time the third round starts, more fans have dropped off, and player energy levels tend to drop as well just due to the slog of the playoffs. The pressure of being so close to the finals gets to everyone I'm sure.

And this year there's so many Canadian teams in the mix that more people IRL are talking about it and excited. Regardless of what happens to the Jets, I'm going to enjoy the first couple of rounds.

Who you got?