2023 Stanley Cup Playoff power rankings: How major upsets (Panthers!) shake things up ahead of Round 2

The massive upsets in the Stanley Cup Playoffs will impact the second round in a big way.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs never disappoint and this year is no exception.

The first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs has come to an end, with the second round set for Tuesday evening as the NHL postseason continues on into May. The opening set of 16 teams has been cut in half, with just eight teams remaining in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

And folks, the remaining field is pretty fresh with new blood for the first time in a long time. The reigning Stanley Cup champions in the Colorado Avalanche were ousted in a Game 7 stunner. The Boston Bruins, the NHL’s best regular season team in history, also were handed a stunning Game 7 defeat. Even the stalwart Tampa Bay Lightning were felled in the opening round, meaning we’re set to get a totally new Stanley Cup champion for the first time since the mid-2000s.

That’s playoff hockey for you!

With all these major upsets now behind us, the field is set for an exciting second round. Here’s how we rank the eight teams remaining in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with one final eulogy for the teams we left behind.