The 2024-25 NHL season is thru its first two months and a lot of the league’s groups have already began to separate themselves as official Stanley Cup contenders or pretenders.
Right here, we’re going to check out the Japanese Convention.
Groups that ought to begin planning on subsequent season: Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Purple Wings
Not solely are these groups not even worthy of being referred to as pretenders, they already look like groups that needs to be nervous about subsequent season. Montreal and Columbus are within the early phases of rebuilds and nonetheless years away from severe competition, whereas Buffalo and Detroit are caught in what look to be failed rebuilds.
Playoff pretenders: Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders
This quartet is barely higher than the primary group, and one in every of these groups may even sneak right into a playoff spot, however none of them have an inside monitor on a spot. The Flyers have an rising celebrity in Matvei Michkov and what needs to be a powerful future, however it’s nonetheless simply that – a future. It isn’t their time but.
Ottawa is a barely higher model of Buffalo and Detroit when it comes to a failed rebuild however has sufficient high-end younger expertise to nonetheless be attention-grabbing, particularly if beginning goalie Linus Ullmark can flip issues round within the second half.
The Penguins and Islanders are two of the older groups within the league and are form of caught between contending and rebuilding. The Penguins nonetheless have some Corridor of Famers (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson), however they don’t defend effectively and goaltending goes to carry them again. The Islanders have the goaltending however don’t do the rest effectively.
Stanley Cup pretenders: Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals
Every of those groups is more likely to make the playoffs, however additionally they all have a major flaw that’s going to carry them again in opposition to really elite competitors.
The Bruins and Capitals lack the kind of true No. 1 heart that each Stanley Cup-winning workforce must win.
The Lightning nonetheless have their high-end core of expertise, led by MVP candidate Nikita Kucherov, however they merely wouldn’t have the depth at ahead or on protection that may get them via one other deep playoff run.
The Rangers are nonetheless too depending on goalie Igor Shesterkin and their energy play, don’t defend effectively sufficient, and are nonetheless a really mediocre 5-on-5 workforce. They could win a spherical or two, however they aren’t successful a Stanley Cup with this core of taking part in fashion.
The Stanley Cup contenders: Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers
These 4 groups needs to be the category of the Japanese Convention this season.
Toronto is the one that may draw essentially the most skepticism as a result of we now have seen this film from them earlier than, the place a gifted, top-heavy workforce wins loads of common season video games after which fizzles within the playoffs, however the goaltending and protection each appear completely different this season.
New Jersey’s addition of goalie Jacob Markstrom and defenseman Brett Pesce have been precisely what they wanted to bounce again from final yr’s disappointing season, to not point out some considerably higher harm luck. They’ve the high-end expertise (Jack Hughes), the sturdy protection, and now the goaltending to noticeably compete for a championship.
Florida and Carolina may merely be the 2 finest groups within the Japanese Convention with the fewest weaknesses.
Florida has an elite offense that’s as deep as any workforce within the league, whereas Carolina’s defensive construction stays relentless. The Hurricanes additionally lastly have an elite scorer (Martin Necas) breaking out that might assist drive their offense for a playoff run.
Guess on one in every of these 4 groups successful the Japanese Convention.
