It is officially Stanley Cup Season, meaning that the playoffs are in full swing! There are many different teams that people believe will win the Cup. Some people believe the Rangers will win, while others think the Panthers, or possibly even the Leafs, but most believe the Carolina Hurricanes are going to bring home the Stanley Cup.
The New York Rangers are one of the main teams people believe have the potential to win the Stanley Cup. The Rangers had their best recorded season in 2023-24. They ended up winning the Metropolitan Division as well as the Presidents Trophy, which is awarded to the team with the most points at the end of the regular season. They finished with a record of 55-23-4. They also have many assets, including Artemi Panari, who finished the season with 49 goals, 71 assists, and 120 total points. The New York Rangers also have Igor Shesterkin, who is one of the top goalies currently in the NHL.
Another team in contention for the Stanley Cup is the Florida Panthers. Last season they lost against the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Championship. This year, they did not disappoint, winning the Atlantic Division with a record of 52-24-6. Sam Reinhard is one of the top contributors to this team, scoring 57 goals and 94 points during the regular season. He is currently ranked first in power plays and has the amazing shooting percentage of 24.5%. Their goalie Gustav Forsling led for the least number of goals let in, at about 2.41 goals saved per game.
A less popular opinion is that the Toronto Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup. The Maple Leafs nearly took the whole season to find their sweet spot and rhythm, discovering it right before playoffs. Toronto’s weakness is their defense.
Despite not having a strong defense, they have an amazing amount of strengths. Auston Matthews is a “goal scoring prowess,” and is in contention to win the Hart Trophy. They also have Mitch Manner, who is an amazing playmaker. The new additions to the team– Matthews, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Max Domi– create a strong unit that allows Mitchell Marner and William Nylander to spread out more across the ice. One of their strongest players currently is Ily Samsonov who has “been through the wringer” and come out playing some of the best hockey games. He has improved so much that he’s projected to become a starter.
The current favorite to win the Stanley Cup is the Carolina Hurricanes. The playoffs opened with the Hurricanes in favor of winning. They finished the season with a record of 52-23-7. This is the first time that the franchise has been in favor of winning entering the playoffs. One of the Hurricanes’s top defenders is their goalie Fredrick Anderson who blocks about 2.57 goals per game. One of their top offensive players is Sebastian Aho who, during the regular season, had 36 goals and 89 points. They also added the strong players Dimitry Orlov, Jake Guentzel, and Evgeny Kuxnetsor.
Statistically, they are doing amazing as well. They have killed 86.4% of their penalties this season and converted 25.6% of power plays. Another asset is that, during the regular season, Jarvis had a total of 33 goals, and Aho had 36 goals. The team is also very experienced with about a dozen of their players having played 29 or more playoff games with the Hurricanes. Their new additions Evgeny Kuznetsor, Orlov, and Guentzel, have all won the Stanley Cup before. The team also has motives to win, with it being the last season before most of their team becomes free agents.
So many people get very excited about the Stanley Cup. There are die hard fans who have been fans since they were children, and fans who are just starting to learn about the sport. No matter how fanatical someone may be, the Stanley Cup excites everyone. The Stanley Cup has a history of being unpredictable. Many times the underdog comes out on top, keeping fans unsure of who is going to win. Regardless of who wins, memories are made during this time that will last a lifetime. Who do you think is going to win?
