Who will win the Stanley Cup?

By Eitan Mirel

The glinting silver Trophy, the Stanley Cup. Every young hockey player dreams of someday looking up and seeing their reflection looking back at them. Each hockey fan waits eagerly hoping that this year, finally becomes their year, to witness history. Many people wait all their lives to see this dream become a reality and some may never. The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin this year on April 17th, but for the teams fighting to be the sixteen that will be able to play hockey into late April, this journey begins far earlier. We need to rewind to October 10th when the puck drops to the ice on Opening Night.

A new NHL season each year marks new beginnings for each team. Teams that fell short the past spring try to prove themselves once again. The defending champion Golden Knights are coming off a dominating Stanley Cup victory and hope to keep their winning remains intact. Young teams like the Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard with the first overall pick in the draft and have hopes of building their team around him. A traditional franchise like the Bruins is coming off of a historic regular season that turned into a historic collapse in the first round and now has to try to rebound from the loss of their top two centers David Krejci and future Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron. Aging teams like the Penguins and Capitals teams with Crosby and Ovechkin respectively are hoping to make the playoffs after both missing last year and cement themselves in hockey history.

Oct 11, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) skates with the puck past Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) during the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Only ten games into the season and we are already starting to see some surprising results and storylines emerging. Jack Hughes and Elias Petterson have had monstrous starts to the season, tied for the league lead in points. Hughes recently suffered an upper body and is out as well as Nico Hischier. The young Devils team will have to show resilience if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. Coming out of Alberta both the Flames and Oilers have struggled immensely being two out three worst teams in the league, only ahead of the tragic San Jose Sharks. Some of this is due in part to McDavid's injury but if Edmonton wants to do any damage in the playoffs they need to show they are more than him and Draisatl. The Golden Knights have continued right where they left off last season leading the league with a near-perfect 11-0 and 1 record. The Bruins are right behind despite their offseason losses but once again need to perform big time in the playoffs.

All of these teams are working towards making the playoffs, but only half of them will succeed in that goal. Although it is difficult to predict here this is who I see qualifying for the playoffs this year and seeing some postseason action.

Starting in the Western Conference and the Pacific Division, I see the Golden Knights being a playoff lock already and finishing first in the Pacific. Given their start to the season and their recent championship, I find it impossible to see this juggernaut not qualifying. Coming in second in the Pacific, I think the Kings will improve their record and move past the Canucks currently. They have a strong core of veterans like Kopitar, and up and up-and-coming players to build around making them a dark horse cup pick. For third place, I see the Kraken recovering from a slow start to the season and getting Burakovsky back, finding the win column more. In the Central Division, I see the Dallas Stars continuing their superb start to the season and finishing first, with Pavelski continuing to produce at the age of thirty-nine alongside young stars Robertson and Heiskanen. Coming in Second, not being a huge surprise, the Avalanche should slot in. With a team with MacKinnon, Makar, Rantanen, and Toews to name a few, it is hard to argue against Colorado, and they continue, like last season, to be one of the best teams in the West. Finishing third in the Central Division, I have the Minnesota Wild. Despite their very difficult start to the season, I see them rallying given some of the tough matchups they have had, and starting to produce. For the two wild cards in the Western Conference, I have the Canucks falling to the first wild card, even though they have had a great season so far and the Oilers squawking into the second wild card spot because it is difficult to argue against McDavid.

Moving over to the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan Division, I think the Hurricanes will improve their record slightly from now and finish first. They have a deep roster in goaltending and defense and are led by stars like Aho and Pesce. Second, I have the Rangers, with Panarin and Fox arguably the best goaltender in the league and Lafreniere still not reaching his full potential the Rangers have once again emerged as a top team in the Metro. Coming in third, I have the New Jersey Devils because, even though Hughes and Hischier may have been injured, they have many players who can step up and fill the void. In the Atlantic Division, I think the Maple Leafs will continue their success in the regular season and finish first, but the real question for them comes in the playoffs. In second place I think that the Red Wings will end their playoff drought with a strong season and make the playoffs. The Wings seem to have finally taken the next step this season. Placing third, I think the Bruins will still make the playoffs, but not continue their great play early in the season. For the two wild cards in the East, I think the Panthers will rebound and show why they went to the finals last year, and the Islanders will narrowly make it in, meaning the Lightning miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017. My prediction is that the Hurricanes will go on a deep run and be the kings of the east, where they will meet the other kings, Los Angeles, and in a dramatic six games, LA will once again take the cup back to Hollywood.

There is still lots of time left in the NHL season for things to change and teams to falter. It will be interesting to see how the predictions age since they are based on what we have seen given the on-ice production through the first 15 games of the season. All there is to do now is to sit back and enjoy the season and see how things play out come spring.