The first round is over, and we’ve had a bit of a cooling off period between the end of the Flyers season and now. We’ve also seen eight teams eliminated from the playoffs — some in devastating fashion, some in expected fashion.
Watching the Leafs lose a heartbreaking Game 7 to the Bruins last night, I asked myself the question: Would I rather the Flyers qualify for the postseason and suffer a similar defeat, or would I rather see them miss the playoffs completely?
I’m talking purely from an emotional point of view. The Flyers are picking 11th in the draft, anyway, so it’s not that far off from a team like the Leafs or the Wild or the Capitals or whoever else lost in the first round. A mid first-rounder either way. Practically speaking it wouldn’t make all that much of a difference.
But emotionally. One one side, we get two extra weeks of hockey and at least a little bit of playoff excitement, even if they lose the series. Even in a sweep, the feeling on a playoff game day is unlike anything else in hockey. But the feeling of disappointment when the hype and the emotional investment doesn’t pay off is unlike anything else, too — whether you lose like the Leafs or you expect it all along.
We’ve been in both positions now in the last couple of years, and I can’t say I know which I prefer. So, poll time. Would you rather see the Flyers lose in the first round, or would you rather see them miss all together?
Would you rather the Flyers miss the playoffs or lose in the first round?
| Miss the playoffs entirely | 281 |
| Lose in Round 1 | 575 |
| Other (discuss in comments) | 47 |
