The road to the Stanley Cup goes through Florida. That became even more apparent at the 2022 NHL trade deadline Monday.
Whether or not the top team in the Eastern Conference comes from the gulf side of Alligator Alley or the East Coast side of the Sunshine State, the additions made by the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning have put the teams in prime position to play deep into the postseason and beat each other up in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Eastern Conference playoff spots have been locked up for months. All that's left is to jockey for playoff positioning.