Where it went wrong: Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 exits

Despite being beat up and lacking in the special teams department headed into the playoffs, the Blues found a way to upend the Minnesota Wild in Round 1. The conference semifinals proved to be a very different test, as they were ousted by the red-hot Nashville Predators in five games.

Where it went wrong: The Blues didn't carry the offensive firepower from the first round over to the second. We discussed ahead of St. Louis' matchup with Nashville that the offense would have to give netminder Jake Allen some cushion and that Vladimir Tarasenko was likely the guy who needed to lead the team. Neither of those things came to fruition.

What comes next: Even with the second-round exit, the Blues really didn't end the roller-coaster 2016-17 campaign all that bad. St. Louis clearly learned a lot from the overall rocky season. Unlike the 2016 offseason, which saw the roster get shuffled quite a bit, next season's Blues will likely look as they did at the end of the playoffs, from Tarasenko up top all the way back to Allen between the pipes.

New York Rangers

There was very good reason to think that the Rangers would be the victors in their second-round matchup with the Ottawa Senators. They have a deep offense, a goalie whose game got hot at just the right time and a good record against the opposition. It still wasn't enough to get them past Erik Karlsson and a gritty Sens team, however.

Where it went wrong: Joe Soccoa of NY Sports Day called it "a series in which you can say the Rangers had won but shot themselves in the foot." To put in less dramatic terms, the Rangers didn't have the same energy level they had against Montreal in the first round. The lack of umph was their undoing.

What comes next: There is already plenty of speculation as to whether or not this team is getting a makeover in the offseason. New York is likely looking to get younger, especially if it wants to make a deeper playoff run in the future. Plus it probably wouldn't hurt them to try putting more space between the team's payroll and the cap.

Edmonton Oilers

You have to hand it to the Oilers: They played out of their minds in two rounds of playoff puck. Heck, there was a chance that they would be squaring off with the Predators in the Western Conference Final — until Ducks forward Nick Ritchie deposited the game-winning goal to send Anaheim to the next round instead.

Where it went wrong: To be honest, the Oilers did a lot of things right in their playoff run. However, after forcing a Game 7, they didn't capitalize on some gutsy chances to put the Ducks away. Even captain Connor McDavid was a bit quiet in Game 7. Edmonton, literally, just fell short.

What comes next: The future is quite bright for the Oilers, and the expectations are probably higher than ever. Oilers' reporter Rob Tychkowski summarized the playoff exit rather brilliantly via Twitter after the loss: "'Wait till next year' finally sounds more like a promise than an excuse."

Washington Capitals

You don't have to be Capitals fan to see that the Game 7 shutout at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins was an absolute heartbreaker.

Where it went wrong: After getting into a two-game hole against Pittsburgh, Washington rallied to push back and assist in getting the series to seven games. The Caps headed into Game 7 saying they expected the Pens to be "desperate." Then they lacked urgency and desperation themselves, getting shut out two goals to none. (And no, the entirety of Washington's urgency cannot be put on Alex Ovechkin being injured.)

What comes next: That two-year window that Capitals GM Brian MacLellan set out for the current squad to win a Stanley Cup has closed. The series just ended, but the rumors surrounding what comes next for the Capitals are already running on overdrive. Per Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post, the team has 11 players hitting free agency, on top of movement from the upcoming expansion draft and salary cap constraints. After yet another disappointing playoff exit, the Capitals' roster should be in store for a serious facelift.