How important is playoff experience to an up-and-coming team?

We’re near the midway point of the 2025-26 season, and rebuilding teams like the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks are making a run at their first Stanley Cup Playoff births in years.

While getting into the dance is an accomplishment in itself, learning how to play in the postseason is a whole different animal. It may feel cliche, but for many who played the game, playoff experience is a valuable asset when your team is preparing to make a deep run.

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton took part in another edition of #ASKDFO. The first question was for Hutton: “How much did playoff experience teach you how to elevate your game? Do you think it’s actually a benefit for some of the young teams?”

Carter Hutton: It’s huge. It’s so valuable to gain that experience. I feel like the outside fan, or someone watching doesn’t really feel it. When you go to an NHL game, you feel how intense it is, but it’s not sustainable to play that way throguhout a whole year.

When you get to the playoffs, everything is magnified. Every puck battle, every icing, every faceoff, every single play has an added intensity that’s brought to it. I think it teaches a younger player how to play in those moments and how to be just totally aware of your situation. You can’t take a shift or a stride or a moment off if you want to win a series, because it could change the whole destiny of a series.

That’s where the experience becomes so important. Throughout an 82-game season, you checkout at points, right? “Man, we don’t have it tonight, we’re down 3-1, who cares?” You hate to hear that, but it’s the honest truth.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…