Previewing The 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs: North Division
The North Division playoff picture came down to the final day of the regular season, as the Toronto Marlies were defeated in regulation - eliminating them from the postseason and allowing idle Rochester to slide into the fifth and final playoff spot in the division.
1. Utica Comets (New Jersey)
Regular Season: 43-20-9
Case For
The Comets' NHL affiliate New Jersey didn't qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so their won't be any call ups detracting from Utica's playoff run.
They have the high end offensive talent up front to score goals up and down their lineup i.e. Chase De Leo, Nolan Foote, Alexander Holtz and Fabian Zetterlund just to name a few.
Case Against
There's no forgetting their incredible start to the season, but let's be honest here. Their second half was very average. Did they peak too soon?
Who will be in goal? Both Nico Daws and Akira Schmid played well in the regular season, but a pair of rookie goaltenders entering their first postseason run at the pro level is always going to raise the question: How will they react to the increased pressure/intensity that the Calder Cup Playoffs bring?
2. Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay)
Regular Season: 41-26-9
Case For
Despite playing an incredibly back-loaded schedule to finish the season, the Crunch thrived and are arguably playing their best hockey of the season heading into these playoffs. 8-2 in their last 10 games.
They have a really solid veteran goaltender in Max Lagace, and some great offensive forwards (Alex Barre-Boulet, Charles Hudson) as well as some strong two-way forwards that can also score and create offense (Gabriel Dumont, Remi Ellie and Gemel Smith).
The Crunch also get a lot of offensive production from their defensemen. They're simply a well-rounded group across the board.
The Crunch are the team to beat in the North Division.
Case Against
With how many games Syracuse had to play in the final two months of the season, the only burning question that remains is if they have enough left in the tank to make a serious run at the Calder Cup.
3. Laval Rocket (Montreal)
Regular Season: 39-26-7
Case For
Laval has a really good mix of forwards that bring speed (Danick Martel) and offense (Raphael Harvey-Pinard) as well as strong two-way play (Cedric Paquette and Devante Smith-Pelly)that is crucial for postseason play.
They have a pair of reliable goaltenders in Kevin Poulin and Cayden Primeau.
Case Against
Defensively, they don't appear to match up well against any of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference (Charlotte, Springfield, Syracuse and Utica).
They let home ice advantage in the opening round slip away in the final weekend of the regular season, and will face a dangerous Syracuse team in the North Division semifinal round. Their path to the Calder Cup Finals is probably the most difficult in the conference as they'll likely need to face 3 of the top 4 teams in the East if they have any hopes of making a legitimate run at a championship this spring.
4. Belleville Senators (Ottawa)
Regular Season: 40-28-4
Case For
Belleville has plenty of high-end prospects up front, including newly arriving Ridley Greig and Tyler Boucher in addition to mainstays Egor Sokolov and Roby Jarventie to go along with several solid veterans capable of dominating at the AHL level with the likes of Andrew Agozzino and Clark Bishop. They also added goal-scorer Zach Senyshyn at the trade deadline.
They also seem to be a team entering the postseason playing well as they won seven of their final 10 games to solidify their playoff spot.
Case Against
Do they have the depth on defense to slow down the likes of Rochester in the first round? Not to mention the possibility of having to face both Syracuse and Utica in later rounds if they advance.
Michael Del Zotto declined to join Belleville for the postseason, further exposing some depth issues on the backend.
5. Rochester Americans (Buffalo)
Regular Season: 37-29-10
Case For
With their NHL affiliate off for the spring/summer, Rochester benefits in a big way with defenseman Mattias Samusson and forward Peyton Krebs joining the Amerks for the postseason.
Adding those two to the likes of Casey Fitzgerald, Michael Merch, JJ Peterka, Ethan Prow and Jack Quinn gives Rochester plenty of offensive firepower.
Case Against
An injury to starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will keep him out of their first round best-of-three series with Belleville.
While Rochester has had no problem scoring goals this season, the 270 goals they allowed in the regular season was the second most allowed in the entire AHL. They'll need to tighten up defensively to have any hopes of making it past the second round.
