Everything we learned about the NHL's present and future

The Predators' Cinderella-like playoff run was a perfect way to cap off a season in which we saw a new crop of teams flex some muscle. From the Columbus Blue Jackets' 16-game run to seeing teams like the Maple Leafs and the Oilers get back into the playoffs, it was interesting that on the 100th birthday of the league, a bevy of squads emerged to take some of the spotlight away from the established powerhouses.

That's not to mention how much fun it was to watch the crop of young players who got their first taste of playoff hockey (but more on them in just a little bit).

The bad

Winning back-to-back Cups has the never-wavering spotlight on Sidney Crosby burning even brighter. Yet all I see is him repeatedly banging P.K. Subban's head into the ice.

Not only was it terrible that the play went virtually unpunished — don't even get me started on that one — but it also got me thinking about head injuries. There seems to be no progress in the league both cracking down on punishment and doing a better job at protecting its players. (Remember, Crosby himself took a couple big hits to the dome in these playoffs as well.)

Even after the public shaming the NHL received when the concussion lawsuit became known, the league still hasn't done much to improve the way it handles hits to the head. Is there more research that needs to be done? Was the NHL too busy deciding not to attend the Olympics that all this head stuff got put on the back burner? What has to happen for the league to take the skull more seriously? Unfortunately, it's a frustrating string of questions that will continue being a problem no matter how far in the rearview mirror this season gets.

The ugly

Is the "intent to blow" call the new offsides? Or are the two equally as nefarious when it comes to rules that the NHL desperately needs to give a makeover? We have already done the deep dive into the offsides rule and how it's about as clear as mud. The "intent to blow" call isn't much better and leads to just as long and loathsome of a timeout while the officials scramble to figure out what is happening on their tiny iPads.

After seeing both calls overturn goals for Nashville in the Stanley Cup Final, it is even more clear that these rulings can be quite costly for a team. That is beyond terrible given how difficult they are to determine in the first place. (Not to forget that the Preds had bad brush-ups with these rulings during the regular season as well.)

To summarize before we let it lie for the summer: The NHL still has plenty of work to do when it comes to clarifying the rules around the crease. And will someone put a timer of how long these goal reviews take?

But on to happier things...

The rookies

The stellar performance that Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel put on in the playoffs was a steady reminder that 2016-17 was "The Year of the Youngster." What's more is the promise that the 2016-17 crop of rookies will have continued success in this whole "changing of the guard" type of deal.

That means more Patrik Laine goal celebrations and, hopefully, Auston Matthews sing-a-longs on the bench.

The horizon

The 2016-17 completes itself with a lot to look forward to. The summer will be a little different than the past few with the expansion draft and formulation of the Las Vegas Golden Knights finally becoming a reality. It will likely make the midsummer opening of free agency even more interesting with so many players on the move.

One other thing in the future after the 2016-17 season to look forward to: All the hockey-centric music that is going to come out of Nashville inspired by the Predators first Stanley Cup Final run.