CANADA’S CUP HOPES LOOK SLIM
It’s hard to envision hockey’s holy grail heading north of the border this season
If I told you to pick eight teams that could possibly win a Stanley Cup this year, how many of those choices would you waste on Canadian teams?
Three? Maybe two? Only one? How about zero?
BetOnline went with the latter in its latest odds. And you can’t really blame them. There’s not a Canadian team that I would rank ahead of their top six, which includes Tampa Bay, Boston, Colorado, St. Louis, Washington and Pittsburgh.
Maybe I’d put one ahead of Dallas or Vegas. But based on how well the New York Islanders and Columbus Blues Jackets are playing — and what they accomplished in last year’s playoffs — I might not even have a Canadian team in my top 10.
That is, at least not until one of them does something of significance ahead of the Feb. 24 trade deadline.
That’s where things could change. And they better, because even with four of the seven teams currently holding down playoff spots, it still doesn’t look like a parade will be held north of the border.
Then again, you would have made a lot of money had you bet that St. Louis would win it all at this time a year ago. The chances of something similar happening with any of the four teams currently holding on to playoff spots — well, clinging might be a better description — would pay out just as handsomely.
As of Feb. 4, Toronto and Vancouver were tied with the ninth-best odds (16-1), followed by Edmonton at 12th (22-1) and Calgary at 14th (25-1). Winnipeg, which is one point back of a playoff spot, is tied for Philadelphia with the 19th-best odds (33-1), which is not promising when you consider that only 16 teams actually qualify for the post-season.
Montreal’s odds, meanwhile, are set at a less than glorieux 100-1.
That’s another way of saying that there aren’t any favourites coming out of Canada. Not this year. Not with the number of holes in each of their lineups.
While 26 seasons have elapsed since a Canadian team won the
Cup (Montreal in 1992-93), five have lost in the final during that span. Most years, there was a team (Ottawa in the early 2000s or Vancouver when they still had the Sedins) that you could envision going deep.
Even a year ago, ending the drought seemed like a realistic proposition, with the Flames finishing with the second-best record in the NHL, Winnipeg ending up with the second-most wins in the conference and Toronto reaching 100 points.
Back then, there was hope. You could confidently say that any one of those three teams had a chance at going all the way. Then again, that all three went out in the first round tells you something was missing under the surface.
This year, what’s missing is far easier to spot. Too many of them are battling serious injuries or inconsistencies to be taken seriously. Too many look like it will be a minor miracle if they happen to hold on to a playoff spot.
Vancouver, which has relied on 19-year-old Quinn Hughes for big-time minutes on defence, seems too young to go on a deep run.
Edmonton, which is without Connor McDavid for the next few weeks, has been too reliant on its top two players at a time in the year when you’re typically rolling four lines. Calgary can’t even beat Los Angeles these days. And for all their offensive firepower, Toronto and Winnipeg are too weak defensively at a time when defence wins games.
Can these faults be remedied? Yes, but the question that the Canadian-based GMs have to be asking themselves is whether it’s worth it.
Would adding a stay-at-home defenceman such as Alec Martinez or Brenden Dillon help the Leafs get past the Bruins or Lightning in the first round or the Flames get by the Blues or Avalanche? Would putting Chris Kreider or Andreas Athanasiou on McDavid’s wing make the Oilers more complete? Could Tyler Toffoli’s championship resume be the X-factor for a Canucks team that’s gone five years without a playoff appearance?
For what it’s worth, I like the Jets’ chances to go the deepest of the Canadian teams.
That is, as long as they trade for a defenceman or two … and can sneak into the playoffs. mtraikos@postmedia.com twitter.com/Michael_Traikos