The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to get underway on Saturday with the top 16 teams in the league set to compete to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.
Expectations surrounding the various Cup contenders are different on a team-by-team basis, but as is often the case in the NHL postseason, there are a handful of teams and specific players that have plenty to prove.
Whether it be due to a lack of team success, disappointing individual performances on the big stage, or a combination of both, we're going to take a look at the NHL teams and players that have the most to prove during this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs and early postseason exits have almost become synonymous in recent years. Toronto has 13 Stanley Cup titles in franchise history, though they're mired by a staggeringly long drought, having gone without a championship since 1967––a span of 58 years. Recently, they've struggled to put together deep runs in the playoffs, having failed to reach the conference finals since 2002. In fact, they've been bounced in the first round in seven of their last eight playoff appearances. With an incredibly talented roster, the Maple Leafs have won the Atlantic Division for just the second time since 2000, but that won't be enough to quell the frustrations of their fan base, who will be eager to see the team make a Cup run.
Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
It only makes sense that the Maple Leafs' best player and one of the game's most renowned stars has some lofty expectations heading into the postseason. Until Toronto is able to secure a Cup and end its drought, criticism surrounding Matthews will only be amplified during the playoffs. In 55 career playoff games, Matthews has 23 goals and 48 points. Those are somewhat underwhelming numbers given his regular season tallies, which include 400 goals and 726 points in 628 games. This year will mark the 27-year-old's ninth trip to the postseason in as many seasons, and failing to reach a Cup final, or even a conference final, would be a considerable failure on the part of both Matthews and the organization.
Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
Widely considered the best player in the NHL, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is still seeking his first Stanley Cup title. McDavid is in his 10th NHL season and is making his seventh trip to the postseason. After reaching the Stanley Cup final last season, the Oilers are hoping they'll be able to finish the job and hang a banner for the first time since 1990. McDavid played well in last year's playoffs, with 42 points in 25 games––which earned him some hardware in the form of the Conn Smythe trophy––but it still wasn't enough to secure a title. If he truly wants to be considered among the all-time greats, McDavid absolutely needs to win a championship. And soon.
Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets
For all his heroics in the regular season, Connor Hellebuyck simply has not had his best stuff when the playoffs swing around. In particular, Hellebuyck's last two Stanley Cup playoff runs have been disastrous. In 2024, he surrendered an average of 5.23 goals per game during the Winnipeg Jets' first-round defeat against the Colorado Avalanche. Those certainly aren't the Vezina-esque numbers fans have grown accustomed to out of Hellebuyck, but he can re-shape the narrative surrounding his postseason performances with a strong showing in 2025, and he enters the postseason on the heels of his best campaign to date.
Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Another player who's postseason performances simply have not lived up to expectations, Mitch Marner has been the subject of plenty of criticism from disgruntled Maple Leafs fans hoping to see more out of their star playmaker. Marner recorded his first 100-point season in 2024-25, and now he'll be hoping to carry on that level of play into the playoffs. In seven games last postseason, Marner managed just three points as Toronto bowed out in the first round against the Boston Bruins. With his future in Toronto uncertain, fans will be keeping a close eye on his play during the postseason.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the most dominant regular-season teams over much of the past decade, but that's yet to result in a Stanley Cup title, nor even an appearance in the final. Another year of playoff shortcomings would be tremendously disappointing for a fan base eager to celebrate its first Cup since 2006. This team has all the makings of a winner, yet they've consistently failed to get the job done in recent seasons. The organization has made abundantly clear they won't be satisfied with simply making the playoffs, and now it's time to finish the job and catch the proverbial carrot that Rod Brind'Amour said has been dangling in front of his team.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NHL Teams, Players With Most to Prove in 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
