In 1993, the Montréal Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada after the Pittsburgh Penguins had kept it down south for back-to-back years. Before the Pens nabbed two in 1991 and 1992, the Cup spent seven years in Canada. Since 1993, a handful of Canadian teams have made it to the Finals, with the Habs being the most recent in 2021, but none have returned with the NHL’s ultimate prize.
This season might, finally, be different, though. After 30 years – or 31 years by the time the Finals take place – Canada boasts two legitimate contenders and some intriguing dark horses. Given the unpredictability of the playoffs, if any of the dark horses make the cut, they’ll have just as much of a shot at the crown as the favourites, so they’re well worth considering.
Dark horses and rebuilders
Without a shadow of a doubt, the Montréal Canadiens are in the midst of a rebuild, and with that in mind, they did rather well during the offseason. The team got younger, and the emphasis on this was clear to see. Now that they’ve flipped Jeff Petry from getting in on the Erik Karlsson multi-team trade for 24-year-old Gustav Lindström and future considerations, it seems likely that the Habs got the best of the blockbuster deal.
The Vancouver Canucks could also find themselves in the midst of a rebuild if their star Swede’s impending RFA status isn’t sorted soon or a poor first half of the season makes them commit to a tear-down and capitalizing on the center’s immense value. The Winnipeg Jets may also end up going into a soft rebuild if they feel the need to deal impending UFAs Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele following a weak start.
As for dark horses emerging from the north, there’s plenty to like in the Calgary Flames ranks. Jacob Markström is serviceable in goal, the blueline corps is rather strong, and the forward lines are headlined by Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. Given the recent years of turmoil, it might be surprising to see the Ottawa Senators as one of the prime dark horse contenders. It’s a very young and talented team that missed the playoffs by six points last season.
Canada’s leading contenders for the crown
Dark horse contenders are all well and good, but this season, there are two legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. With the Toronto Maple Leafs finally making it past the First Round and the stars of the Edmonton Oilers seemingly only getting more lethal, it’s clear that the Buds and Oilers have what it takes, on paper, to go all the way. Fans have a feeling that McDavid or Matthews could hoist the Cup, and the hockey betting also ranks them both at the top.
The Maple Leafs did see some significant outgoings, including Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Schenn, Alex Kerfoot, Michael Bunting, and Noel Acciari, but have decided to gamble on John Klingberg to up their scoring power. It’s a lot of defensively sound players shifting for a distinctly offensive one, but bringing in Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi may help mitigate this slightly. Perhaps they’re following the template of the Oilers.
Once again, Edmonton will hope to outscore everyone by a significant margin. They put away 20 more goals than any other team by the end of the 2022/23 regular season, and may even see an uptick with Connor McDavid’s old Erie Otters pal, Connor Brown, joining the team. Without a doubt, Brown will at least have a career year. Their main sticking point is the goaltending situation, where they’ll essentially be hoping that their rookie improves.
The Flames and Sens should be able to battle for a wild card place, but the glut of Canada’s hopes to see the Stanley Cup again lie with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers.