Is This Calgary's Last Playoff Push?

[solas 1,951]

At the moment, the New York Americans, who were led by likely MVP candidate Unassisted, are tied with Calgary 3-3 going into the final game of the series.  But will this be Calgary’s last chance at a cup for a while?  Center Aleksi Koponen and goalie/captain Ariel Weinstein, possibly the team’s two most important players, will be retiring after this season.  Black Velvet, arguably the league’s top defenseman, and Tyson Kohler, one of the VHL’s top goalscorers, will be heading to free agency this offseason after re-signing in Calgary to try and achieve redemption for S51.  Midseason acquisition Shayne Gow is also going to be testing the market.  Theo Axelsson and Tobias Klingberg have signed longer-term deals, however they’ll be entering the prime of their careers next season and might get traded to a more likely contender.  Rumors state that there’s likely to be a change in the Calgary front office this offseason, so GM player Travis Gowecny could also be dealt away by a new regime in hopes of a clean slate for a future rebuild.  

 

Even if the Wranglers end up doing the unexpected and retaining all their free agents, avoiding trading away their young stars, and somehow finding a goalie to replace Weinstein, Calgary still might not be viable contenders next season, as both New York and Seattle have young players that will be consistently improving (and New York has multiple important players locked into long term deals).  We’ll have to see if the Wranglers can keep their playoff hopes alive this season, or if they’ll get knocked out by the favored Americans.