Annual Noles/Bucs/Bolts/Magic Offseason Check-In
Here we are again. Another year in the books, another year where none of my teams could advance beyond round 1 of the playoffs (despite Orlando holding a 3-1 lead over Detroit and the Lightning also being a Game 7 win away). When the 2025-26 seasons began for each of these teams, expectations were different. Florida State expected to have a big bounce-back season after its worst season in 50 years, the Buccaneers expected to win the division and return to the playoffs for a 6th straight season, the Magic expected to be one of the top team's in the East after making a splash trade for Desmond Bane and the continued growth and development of their young stars, and the Lightning expected to continue to be a perennial contender primed to get past the first round for the first time since 2022. But as we know now, none of that really panned out... FSU opened the year with a true stunner defeating perennial powerhouse Alabama by two t...