The Kings Are Dead; Long Live the ...

No reign is forever.

Even though Queen Elizabeth II is giving it a pretty good run.

But she's never had to spend a season or two going into the corners.

Not so for the Los Angeles Kings, who are going to have a spring and summer to reflect on their recent glories while their front office decides how to get back into the playoffs next season.

This dumping in Calgary last night eliminated them from this year's Stanley Cup chase:

And with that, the surprising Flames are in. So are the just-as-surprising Winnipeg Jets. Good times on the prairie.

What, pray tell, was Winnipeg's secret this season?

They're more subtle in Calgary, where they've clearly taken a cue from how the Vatican's College of Cardinals announce a new pope, who -- it must be noted -- never had to go into the corners, either.

The theatrics of Johnny Gaudreau put the Flames on the playoff radar early and often. Now that they're in, too, perhaps romanticists will begin to long for a sentimental pairing between the two somewhere this spring. Think of the memories that could be rekindled!

Dare to dream, dudes.