Lyle Richardson
On Wednesday, the curtain rises on the NHL’s 2018-19 season. Here’s an early look at the leading contenders to win the Stanley Cup next spring.
The favourite to dominate the Eastern Conference this season. Captained by centre Steven Stamkos and featuring stars such as highscoring winger Nikita Kucherov, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and Norris Trophy-winning defenceman Victor Hedman, the Lightning have arguably the most talented roster in the league.
Stanley Cup finalists in 2017, the Predators won the Presidents’ Trophy as last season’s top regular-season club. P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm form the league’s deepest defence corp. The Predators also have a Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender in Pekka Rinne and a rising superstar in left wing Filip Forsberg.
One of last season’s most exciting teams and Canada’s best hope to end the nation’s quarter-century Stanley Cup drought. The Jets possess solid goaltending in Vezina Trophy nominee Connor Hellebuyck, a strong defence anchored by puck-moving blueliner Dustin Byfuglien and a potent offence powered by forwards Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine.
The Penguins failed to earn a Cup three-peat last spring, but remain a serious championship threat. Their roster that won consecutive championships remains largely intact, led by superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Having some extra recovery time during this past summer could improve their Cup chances this season.
Repeating as Stanley Cup champions won’t be easy for the Capitals. Only two teams have won backto-back championships over the past 25 years. Nevertheless, a team with superstar talent such as captain Alex Ovechkin, centres Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom and goalie Braden Holtby stands a good chance of replicating last spring’s Cup run.
The Bruins will attempt to build upon last season’s impressive performance. They still have familiar stars such as Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara. Expect younger Bruins like wingers David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk and blueliners Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo to take on larger roles this season.
What seemed to be a closing window of opportunity for the Sharks to win the Cup got propped open by last month’s acquisition of all-star defenceman Erik Karlsson. Along with Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, the Sharks possess a highly skilled blue-line. Factor in a full season of winger Evander Kane joining Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, and the Sharks should have plenty of bite this season.
Injuries and a lack of scoring punch contributed to the Blues missing the playoffs last season. Management made a series of notable additions in the off-season, bringing in forwards Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron, Tyler Bozak and Patrick Maroon. That boost in firepower should give the Blues what they need to get back into the Stanley Cup chase this season.