Top 5 Stanley Cup Contenders
San Jose, Calif — With the Stanley Cup Playoffs approaching within the next two weeks, there are many favorites to win this year’s most coveted trophy. This year has powerhouse teams from both conferences, here is a list of the Top 5 Stanley Cup Contenders.
#5 San Jose Sharks
Secret Weapon: Tomas Hertl
With Tomas Hertl about to finish a career year, at 35 goals and 35 assists so far, this could be the year Hertl hits his stride for the Sharks post-season run. Throughout the season, Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer has had Hertl all over the lineup from the first line with Sharks Captain Joe Pavelski to the second line where he flourished the most playing with Logan Couture and Timo Meier all the way to the third line with Joe Thornton. Hertl has proved that he can produce offense in any part of the lineup.
San Jose has always been a team that contends but has never reached the ultimate goal. With an aging legend in Thornton, who currently sits at 12th all-time in career points, Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson went all in during the offseason signing 30 goal scorer Evander Kane to a contract extension, trading for arguably the best defenseman in the world in Erik Karlson, and bringing up the right rookies on both forward and defense has allowed San Jose to play exceptional hockey throughout the season. The question will still linger if San Jose can reach eternal glory with Lord Stanley.
#4 Calgary Flames
Secret Weapon: Johnny Gaudreau
“Johnny Hockey” as he’s affectionately known throughout the league, is a tone setter for the Calgary Flames Hockey Club and a game changer who has been known to flip a game on its head in the blink of an eye. His 36 goals and 61 assists are good enough for the team lead of 97 points this season. Calgary has two regular season games left which leaves Gaudreau the opportunity to hit the 100-point plateau for the first time in his career. Racking up the most points in a single season has also made his teammates around him better and have ultimately made Calgary a serious offensive threat.
Calgary is a real contender for the Stanley Cup for the first time since the early 2000s. The organization made a trade that changed the look of the team for the foreseeable future. Calgary sent offensive defenseman Dougie Hamilton and gritty winger Michael Ferland to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a young, now proven, winger in Elias Lindholm and up and coming defenseman Noah Hannifin. Both players have helped to change the offensive landscape of Calgary and helped propel Calgary to their first Western Conference Championship in years.
#3 Vegas Golden Knights
Secret Weapon: Mark Stone
Newly acquired right winger Mark Stone could be the piece this franchise needs to help reach the Stanley Cup Final for back to back years but also help them win it in only the second year as a franchise in the National Hockey League. Another player having a career year, Stone sits on 72 points this season with his time split between his former club, the Ottawa Senators and current club the Vegas Golden Knights. A career high in goals (31) could give Stone the mental push to carry the Golden Knights to a Cup. Not only does Stone offer 5 on 5 support, but he is also a powerplay specialist who has a nose for the net.
The Golden Knights may not be having the same historic run they did last year but they are still very much a threat to any teams Stanley Cup dreams, don’t let their limited time as a team in the league fool you. Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee had some large holes to fill after losing two high scoring wingers to free agency, James Neal (Calgary) and David Perron (St. Louis Blues). He answered the Golden Knights call to action and acquired for Montreal Canadiens Captain Max Pacioretty, stalwart centreman and former Colorado Avalanche Paul Stastny, and the aforementioned Stone. Three big-name forwards added to an already powerful offense has allowed Vegas to run away with many games this season. A second chance in the Cup Final could be what the Golden Knights need to win their first Championship.
#2 Boston Bruins
Secret Weapon: Brad Marchand
Brad Marchand may have a bad reputation but it doesn’t mean he can’t rack up the points in hopes to help people forget his past. Marchand has just hit the 100-point mark for the first time in his career, eclipsing his previous season high of 85 points in the two previous seasons, in the Bruins most recent victory against the Columbus Bluejackets. Marchand is on the smaller side when it comes to average height for NHL players but that has given him the advantage of speed and deception. Marchand can score even strength, shorthanded, on the man advantage, it doesn’t matter, the puck will find the back of the net if he’s out on the ice.
Boston has always been a team that is talked about when the postseason comes around. Their most recent Stanley Cup came in 2011 with a series win against the Vancouver Canucks. Since that time, the Bruins haven’t gotten to the Cup Final but have still had a presence every year. Tuukka Rask is having a stellar year between the pipes and Bruins Captain Patrice Bergeron is showing no signs of slowing down, the Bruins are a formidable opponent to any team that crosses paths with them. Chatter is getting louder surrounding the Bruins and their chances of winning the Stanley Cup but if Marchand and Bergeron can’t deliver, it may leave a sour taste in the Bruin fans mouths.
#1 Tampa Bay Lightning
Secret Weapon: Nikita Kucherov
Nikita Kucherov may not be a “secret weapon” to most since he just hit 125 points this season with two games still left to play. The last time a player scored 125 points in a single regular season was San Jose Sharks Centreman Joe Thornton in the 2005–06 season, Kucherov still has time to pass Thornton. Kucherov is known for having multi-point games in bunches and can be that player to step and get the win for his team when they are down. A leader on the ice, Kucherov and Lightning Captain Steven Stamkos run a high-octane team. Kucherov is another player that can be just a lethal short-handed as he is at even strength and is known to be the deadliest on the powerplay.
The Lightning are no strangers to the playoffs and are certainly no strangers to the Eastern Conference and Stanley Cup Finals either. Since the 2015–16 season, the Lightning have made the Cup Final once, the Eastern Conference Final twice, and a year they didn’t qualify due to an injury-plagued season that ruined any chance of a decent regular season. Since Stamkos came off of his long-term injury, their goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has reached another level of elite with a 38–10–4 record this season, and a plethora of offensive and defensive depth, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season.
Notable Mentions:
Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators
