The Stanley Cup may be the hardest trophy to win in sports.
After a long 82-game season, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are a brutal gauntlet of punishing hockey, where only the strongest — and least battered — team makes it out alive to become the next NHL champion. And with the 2023-24 NHL season in sight for these five teams, their chances at victory are certainly higher than most.
MORE: Why these 5 NHL teams (Canadiens) won’t win the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
After all, there are the haves and have nots in every sports league. The NHL has its own set of teams destined for the bottom of the league — looking at you, San Jose — while others rise to the top as the best of the best each season. Last season, it was the Vegas Golden Knights. This year? A handful of teams already stand out from the outset.
Ahead of the 2023-24 season, these are five NHL teams that you can count on winning the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
Vegas Golden Knights: They're playing with house money after last season
After a disappointing Stanley Cup Final loss in their first-ever year as a franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights now sit atop the hockey world as this new season begins. Last season, the Golden Knights melded a brutal offensive attack with steady defense and goaltending, a combination no one was able to stop. With all but Reilly Smith returning from last season’s championship squad, the Golden Knights are more than well prepared to make a run at back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Plus, with one already under their belts, the pressure is off! The Pacific has some tough contenders, but we already know what this Golden Knights squad can do in Bruce Cassidy’s relentless system.
Carolina Hurricanes: Their offense should finally be good enough
The Hurricanes had the seventh-worst shooting percentage (9.2 percent) in the entire league last year. That plus Andrei Svechnikov’s unfortunate ACL injury in the final month of the 2022-23 regular season curtailed the Hurricanes’ offensive effectiveness greatly in the postseason. New offseason addition Michael Bunting should fit in perfectly with the Hurricanes style of play while adding another much-needed scoring touch to Carolina’s top six.
Of course, injuries and regressions can still happen, but it feels as if this version of the Hurricanes is the most well-rounded offensively we’ve seen in some time. Add a more potent offense to the Hurricanes’ stout defense and goaltending and you have a team ready to make the leap to the Stanley Cup Final.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Grit and sandpaper are necessary for a Stanley Cup team
Expectations could not be higher for the Maple Leafs once again. The team won its first playoff series in 19 years, then promptly fell flat on its face in the second round. Changes were made in the offseason, the biggest of which saw Kyle Dubas depart Toronto for Pittsburgh as Brad Treliving took over as general manager.
The biggest moves Treliving made this summer? Adding Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Ryan Reaves to the mix. As shown by previous Stanley Cup winners in the Golden Knights, Avalanche, and Lightning, a bit of sandpaper in your lineup is a necessity in the rough and tumble world of the playoffs. We know this Maple Leafs team has the talent to make a playoff run and this extra bit of grit should help them go toe-to-toe with the true heavyweights of the NHL.
Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger are absolute studs
The role Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger have played in revitalizing the Dallas Stars cannot be overstated enough. It wasn’t that long ago that folks were calling for a rebuild after the Stars failed to make the playoffs after their appearance in the Stanley Cup Final one season earlier. And yet, over the last two years, Robertson and Oettinger have taken Dallas by storm.
Robertson’s been an offensive juggernaut for the Stars, scoring 46 goals and 109 points last year. His addition to the top line took pressure off of captain Jamie Benn, who bounced back big last year with his first 30-goal season since 2017-18. And while Oettinger had a below average postseason, the goaltender has shown incredible regular season consistency and will likely be back to top form for the Stars as they look towards a return to the Stanley Cup Final.
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will drag them across the finish line
It has to happen eventually, right? Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have suffered at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs for long enough. The duo have done all they can and then some to elevate this Oilers team to a perennial playoff contender, but the team hasn’t been able to rise to meet McDavid and Draisaitl’s level of play.
So, why will this year be any different? Well, McDavid just came off a 153 point regular season last year and will likely be fired up about losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champions in the second round. Eventually, something has to give with this Oilers team and I trust that McDavid and Draisaitl will find a way to make Edmonton a winner, even if they are kicking and screaming the whole way.
