With the 2026-27 NHL season ready to start on Tuesday, it’s not surprising to see pundits and talking heads make their forecasts, bold predictions, and hot takes regarding this season.
But there’s one notable analyst who’s known for his hot takes.
TSN analyst Craig Button revealed his playoff bracket for this season, making some interesting assumptions, while hardly surprising anyone with his picks.
In particular, Button picked the Colorado Avalanche to make it to the Stanley Cup Final and face the Florida Panthers.
BUTTONOLOGY - @CraigJButton is never one to shy away from making difficult choices and he once again steps up to the plate to predict the NHL season standings and playoffs: https://t.co/jwWmHTW2aD pic.twitter.com/QWn3RxYtiD
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) September 29, 2026
Now, Button’s chart needs a bit of a crystal ball to figure out where it’s going. That’s why we need to start from front to back.
Button has picked the Panthers to beat the Avalanche to win the 2027 Stanley Cup. That’s completely bonkers as there is no way that the aging Panthers core will even make it to the Cup Final. There’s as much risk of the Panthers falling off a cliff this season as there is of the Avalanche just making the postseason.
Button used this logic to explain his choice:
“Health Barkov, healthy lineup. Paul Maurice celebrates once again.”
Yes, Aleksander Barkov is the best two-way center in the game. But even if Florida made it to the final for some magical reason, Colorado’s depth would be way too much for the Panthers to overcome. So, let’s give Mr. Button the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume the Panthers win the Eastern Conference side of the bracket.
However, we can confidently say he’s wrong insofar as the Panthers, with Jacob Markstrom in the crease, beat the two-headed Cale Makar-Nathan MacKinnon Colorado Avalanche monster.
Button’s chart reveals interesting playoff path for Avalanche
So, dissecting Button’s 2027 playoff bracket, we can see an interesting path for the Avalanche.
The first-round matchup sees the Avs play the Utah Mammoth. Button is picking Colorado to win the Central Division and take on the Mammoth as the second wild card team.
Meanwhile, the other Central Division matchup sees the Dallas Stars face the St. Louis Blues and the second and third-place teams, respectively. However, Button sees the Blues upsetting the Stars and setting up a second-round series with the Avalanche.
The Avalanche get past the Blues and meet the upstart, and frankly, shocking pick, the San Jose Sharks, to make it to the Western Conference Final.
The Sharks, talent notwithstanding, can’t seem to get past the Avs and succumb in the third round.
At that point, there is just no way that the older Panthers, assuming they’re lineup stays intact, which has already shown injury concerns even before the start of the season, won’t be able to hold up to Colorado’s overall attack.
The Avalanche will be too much for any team to handle this season. The only real thing that can hold Colorado back in 2026-27 is a massive set of injuries. But if the club can sidestep the worst of injuries (such as Cale Makar’s shoulder injury last season), it will be tough for anyone in the NHL to get past the Avs.
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