By Neil Becker
Official puck drop on a new NHL season is always a magical time for fans.
The anticipation among fans from around the globe is strong as all 32 teams start off with the same record and fans believe this could be the year that their beloved squad will win the Stanley Cup.
Realistically whether it be the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche or Carolina Hurricanes, fans can make compelling arguments about how nearly half the league’s teams could end the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs sipping champagne from the cup.
Leafs fans can make a convincing argument about the team’s powerful offence which is led by the dynamic duel of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner while Tampa Bay Lightning fans can point to their elite goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and star defenceman Victor Hedman as reasons why their team have a chance.
Meanwhile even a strong argument could be made for the Nashville Predators who this past summer signed former Lightning captain and future Hockey Hall of Famer forward Steve Stamkos and another Stanley Cup winner in former Vegas Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault who is coming off a 42-goal season.
The following is an in-depth look at which five teams have the best chance to win this year’s Stanley Cup.
1. New York Rangers: As hockey fans know a team must have an elite goalie if they want to win and that’s exactly what the Rangers have in 28-year-old Igor Shesterkin.
Shesterkin, who was picked in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Rangers, played in the 2023 and 2024 All-Star Game and won the Vezina Trophy in 2022. Last season he won 36 games while producing a solid 2.58 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
The Rangers have plenty of offence in the likes of forwards Artemi Panarin who is coming off a 120-point season, Chris Kreider who has posted back-to-back 30 plus goal seasons, as well as Mika Zibanejad and the emerging Alexis Lafreniere who just keeps on improving.
Besides depth scoring up front, the Rangers have a talented blueline which is led by 26-year-old Adam Fox who logs big minutes and provides an offensive punch. Last season, he scored 17 goals and topped 73 points in 72 games played.
Rangers captain Jacob Trouba provides an element of toughness on the backend, which includes throwing lethal bodychecks and bringing a physical presence. He doesn’t provide a lot of offence but will also block shots and provide veteran leadership which is essential for a Stanley Cup winning team.
2. Edmonton Oilers: After losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the expectations in Edmonton this year is Stanley Cup or bust.
The Oilers, who are considered favorites have the best player in superstar forward Connor McDavid along with another veteran superstar in Leon Draisaitl, who for three straight years has produced more than 100- point seasons.
Up front the Oilers have plenty of offensive depth in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Adam Henrique, as well as new signings Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner.
While he might have lost a step or two, the Oilers have a player in 39-year-old forward Corey Perry who knows what it takes to win which he did back in 2007 when he helped the Anaheim Ducks win the Stanley Cup.
Besides all sorts of scoring depth up front and the world’s best player in McDavid, the Oilers also have an elite number one defenceman in 24- year-old Evan Bouchard who last season really came into his own by producing 18 goals along with 82 points and a solid plus/minus of +34 in 81 games played. All Stanley Cup winning teams need a dominant number one defenceman and that’s what the Oilers have in Bouchard who logs over 20 minutes per game of ice time and quarterbacks the power-play.
Aside from Bouchard, the Oilers also have toughness on the blue line with Darnell Nurse and veteran Mattias Ekholm.
The one question mark for the Oilers is goaltending as starter Stuart Skinner can at times be inconsistent.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning: The Tampa Bay Lightning made a bold off-season move when they let future Hall of Fame forward Steven Stamkos walk as an unrestricted free agent. Stamkos, who was selected 1st overall by Tampa Bay in 2008 is coming off a 40-goal season and as team captain provided lots of valuable leadership to the youngsters.
Despite Stamkos leaving, the Lightning still have the essential ingredients in star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy along with and elite number one defenceman in Victor Hedman and star firepower upfront led by right winger Nikita Kucherov who last year led the league with 144 points and Brayden Point.
Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay defence received a big boost when they re-acquired a familiar name in veteran Ryan McDonaugh from the Nashville Predators. During his first stint with the Lightning, he played a key role in helping Tampa Bay win the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup.
Vasilevskiy, who last season missed the first couple of months finished with a 30-20-2 record along with a 2.90 GAA and .900 save percentage in 52 games played. The good news for Tampa fans is that the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner is healthy this year.
This past off-season, Tampa Bay signed 30-year-old UFA forward Jake Guentzel who last year produced 30 goals along with 77 points in a season which saw him start off with the Pittsburgh Penguins before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. He should more than adequately fill in for the missing production from Stamkos.
4. Florida Panthers: The Panthers lost a lot of core pieces from last year’s Stanley Cup winning team but are still extremely dangerous.
Sergei Bobrovsky, who is a future Hall of Famer will be back in the Panthers net as the starting goalie. Bobrovsky, who is now 36 years-old is a 2013 and 2017 Vezina Trophy winner who entered this season only four wins shy of 400. Last season he played in 58 regular season games where he posted a 36-17-4 record which included six shutouts, a 2.37 GAA and a .915 save percentage.
Up front, the Panthers have a lot of dynamic offensive firepower in the likes of Matthew Tkachuk who produced 88 points last season along with Sam Reinhart who is coming off a career best 57-goal season. Carter Verhaege, who over the past couple of seasons has scored 76 goals and captain and two-way forward Aleksander Barkov, also add to the Panthers offensive punch.
On defence, the Panthers lost some big names such as Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Still, they have a talented blueline led by in my opinion the most underrated defenceman in 28-year-old Gustav Forsling who last year finished with a respectable 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) and a rock-solid plus/minus of +56.
Providing veteran leadership to the blueline is the Panthers 2014 first overall pick Aaron Ekblad who can play physical, blocks shots and plays solid defence as seen by his career plus/minus which heading into the season stood at +85. He also provides offence as seen by his 115 career goals and at age 28 can still log big minutes in a game.
5. Boston Bruins: The Bruins also have elite goaltending with 25-year-old Jeremy Swayman who last year went 25-10-8 with 3 shutouts along with a 2.53 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
Swayman, who was drafted 111th overall in 2017 has shown he is ready for prime time by producing a 79-33-15 career record along with 12 shutouts, a 2.34 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
Besides in net, Boston’s other strength is their blueline where they have such studs as 26-year-old veteran Charlie McAvoy who is fearless at blocking shots, quarterbacks the power-play and has a career plus/minus of +147. The Bruins also have Hampus Lindholm, who is among the league’s best shut down defencemen.
This past summer they signed 6’6” 248- pound Nikita Zadorov who brings toughness while also logging heavy minutes and processes a cannon from the point.
Up front the Bruins will once again be relying on right winger David Pastrnak who is coming off a 110- point season (47 goals, 63 assists), along with Pavel Zacha, veteran Brad Marchand and another UFA signing in center Elias Lindholm who will be looking to rebound after scoring only 44 points in 75 games during a season which saw him play for the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.
Conclusion:
A convincing debate could also be made for such teams as the Dallas Starts, Vegas Golden Knights or Colorado Avalanche to be included among the top five teams. The parody is what makes NHL playoffs so exciting.
Enjoy the NHL season.