Three for the Cup

Our crystal ball says one of these three teams will lift the Stanley Cup next June:

San Jose Sharks

It’s Stanley Cup or bust for these guys. After acquiring all-world defenseman Erik Karlsson in a trade with the Ottawa Senators, the Sharks feature one of the most frightening blue lines in the NHL to go along with a balanced offensive attack that features Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Timo Meier and others. After making it to the second round of the playoffs last season before ultimately losing to the Vegas Golden Knights, look for a hungry Sharks team to make a push forward in 2018-19.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are odds-on favorites to claim the Presidents’ Trophy this year, and like the Sharks, their core group of players is starting to see their championship window closing. No. 1 center Patrice Bergeron (33) and top-pair defenseman Zdeno Chara (41) aren’t getting any younger, but a youthful nucleus of Charlie McAvoy, Ryan Donato, Jake DeBrusk, Brandon Carlo, Trent Frederic and others could pay dividends. Is this the year the Bruins find the right mix of veteran leadership and performance from young players?

Tampa Bay Lightning

After the Washington Capitals knocked off the Pittsburgh Penguins, their longtime rivals, it was no small task for the Lightning to slow the momentum of the Capitals in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Lightning wound up losing in seven games, but the team should be back in Cup contention again this year. They are still led by elite center Steven Stamkos and sharpshooter Nikita Kucherov. Their blue line is still loaded with the likes of Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman and Mikhail Sergachev. Richard Morin