A strange hobby, but I like to ponder these crazy things. Two unlikely sequences to wind up this campaign, which one is more palatable?
S1 - The wheels fall off. We get a number of injuries reducing key guys from the lineup. Nothing major(complete recovery for all), just misfortunes that'll place guys on IR from 2-6 wks. Slide down the standings, & all of Canada laughs at us. Finish 13th last..basically no-man's-land in the rebuild-realm. But then..lo & behold, we FINALLY WIN the F***ing Lotto(2% chance..or whatever it is?) Woo-hoo!!! Here we sit, with the 1st overall pick in our pocket. 99% of Canada is now insanely jealous :^)
S2 - In a spring of PO-upsets, we go on a wild, highly unlikely run. Finish in the 2-slot, hosting Cowtown. Smoke 'em in 5! Then Edmunchuk, who banished the 1st pl. Lost Vegans(they & Winterpeg are WC's). Bounce'em in 6. Unbelievably the Jets emerge from Central, but are beaten up. Still we outlast them in a 7 game, epic thriller. Game 7 OT, Miller from EP & Hughes, in what experts are calling one of the most beautiful OT winners, to ever finish a series.
There it is, a Cdn-sweep, all the way to the Finals. We overcome adversity too, with 7 or 8 injuries along the way, we rely heavily on youth/depth on our valiant run. Ironically(for once) almost all of Canada(save bitter Hogtown) fall in love, cheering for our gritty, exuberant cast. Bo, Miller & EP shine, all over 30 pts, after all 4 rds. Jake snipes 14, & OJ is called up & fares brilliantly. Looking like a perfect match with Myers for the coming yrs. On 'tending, both our guys are excellent. With some injuries, they shine & split the wins.
The Finals our luck runs dry..although it to is an epic gem. All 6 games go to OT. Their team is perfectly healthy, with brilliant 'tending. Who?..Torts' Jackets..that's who. The small market darling becomes the talk of the league. Green & Torts shake hands after, with honour for both. All NHL cities agree this was a brilliant series, played hard & fair; both sides completely earning the others' begrudging respect.
13 home dates..so lots of loot in our pocket. Our cast is higher in demand, so we can easily deal off extra parts at the draft, & be very cap-compliant. We pkg TD & Gaud for a 12th overall pick. Life goes on with complete optimism for 2020-21
That's all folks..no adjustments please. Which would you prefer?