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From NEHJ: The top contenders for the Stanley Cup
A little over a year ago, we were pondering the biggest threats to dethrone the Stanley Cup champion Bruins. This time around, the Black and Gold are part of the pack looking to take the Cup away from the reigning Los Angeles Kings (who weren’t even on our radar).
Here, NEHJ staff writer Jesse Connolly ranks all 30 NHL teams based on their chances of winning the Stanley Cup in 2013.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Jackets haven’t come within fewer than 16 points of a
playoff spot three years running. Sans Nash, that probably
won’t change in 2012-13.
29. Calgary Flames
Got the feeling the perennial bubblers finally blow it up, deal
away Kiprusoff and Iginla, sink to the bottom of the standings and
begin a rebuild.
28. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets are a team rife with talented, complementary players, but
void of a true game-changer. Until one emerges, they’ll be
stuck in neutral.
27. Montreal Canadiens
Price is great, and Pacioretty and Cole both topped 30 goals last
season, but this team has no secondary scorers and likely will miss
the playoffs again.
26. New York Islanders
This Tavares-led core may one day do great things, but playing the
Pens, Rangers and Flyers a total of 18 times a year will kill their
playoff hopes.
25. Edmonton Oilers
Armed with three consecutive No. 1 picks (Hall, Nugent-Hopkins,
Yakupov), if the Oilers cut down their goals against, they’ll
finally escape the basement.
24. Anaheim Ducks
Last season was abysmal for the Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry trio.
With little proven talent otherwise, unless they’re all back
in top form, Anaheim’s going nowhere.
23. Toronto Maple Leafs
Swapping Schenn for van Riemsdyk was a solid deal, but until the
Leafs have a bona fide No. 1 goalie, the playoffs will remain out
of reach.
22. New Jersey Devils
The conference champs didn’t replace Parise’s offense,
have ownership issues and a legendary but aging goalie in Brodeur.
That’s not a recipe for success.
21. Colorado Avalanche
Solid offseason acquisitions, especially P.A. Parenteau, should
complement Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene and the budding core in
Denver nicely.
20. Phoenix Coyotes
After reaching the West finals, the Coyotes’ underwhelming
offense will miss departed top scorer Ray Whitney. The scrappy
Desert Dogs seem due to dip.
19. Detroit Red Wings
Captain Nick Lidstrom retired. Brad Stuart was dealt away. An old
core got a year older. Detroit might miss the playoffs for the
first time since 1990.
18. Florida Panthers
Everyone’s pegged last season as a fluke, but if youngsters
Huberdeau and Gudbranson can have an impact, another trip to the
playoffs is possible.
17. Dallas Stars
Derek Roy can replace Mike Ribeiro, but banking on
veteran newcomers Jaromir Jagr and Ray Whitney to help end their
playoff drought is a gamble.
16. Carolina Hurricanes
The ’Canes made big splashes, reeling in Alex Semin and
Jordan Staal, but their ‘D’ is still iffy and goalie
Cam Ward is prone to being inconsistent.
15. Ottawa Senators
A boost on ‘D’ (Methot), the strong tandem of
Anderson-Bishop and promising young guns (Turris, Silfverberg)
should spell a return to the playoffs.
14. Minnesota Wild
Parise and Suter will inject a lot of life into this
club, but how high can they lift a team that missed the playoffs by
14 points last season?
13. Tampa Bay Lightning
After going from conference finalists to playoff outsiders, Tampa
addressed its needs on ‘D’ (Carle, Salo) and in
net (Lindback) effectively.
12. Nashville Predators
Losing Suter on ‘D’ stings, but the pesky Preds still
have a superb coach (Trotz), the Vezina-worthy Rinne and
Norris-worthy Weber.
11. Buffalo Sabres
They should atone for last season based on some solid stretch runs
(Miller, Myers), added grit (Ott, Scott) and potential breakouts
for Hodgson, Ennis.
10. San Jose Sharks
This might be the last crack at the Cup that Thornton and Marleau
get together. San Jose has all the pieces, but getting out of the
West will be tough.
9. Philadelphia Flyers
Philly has a puncher’s chance thanks to Giroux and Briere,
but a Pronger-less ‘D’ and the ever-unpredictable
Bryzgalov are cause for concern.
8. Chicago Blackhawks
Toews missed 23 games, Kane slumped offensively, Crawford stunk in
net and the Hawks still had 101 points last season. They’ll
be better this season.
7. Washington Capitals
Holtby’s heroics and better team ‘D’ yielded
playoff success, but scoring is their bread and butter.
Offensive-minded Adam Oates is the perfect new coach.
6. Boston Bruins
Rask is a wild card, but any team with Chara has a chance every
night. Led by Bergeron and a rising star such as Seguin, the
B’s should be in the hunt.
5. St. Louis Blues
The Blues are stacked on the blue line (Pietrangelo, Shattenkirk)
and have two No. 1 goalies (Halak, Elliott). Good luck scoring on
these guys.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
A full, healthy season from Crosby obviously is vital, but a
dependable 1B goalie such as Tomas Vokoun could be the X factor in
the Steel City.
3. Vancouver Canucks
With their offensive depth intact (Sedins, Kesler), the addition
of defenseman Jason Garrison and Schneider now the No. 1, I like
the Canucks’ chances.
2. Los Angeles Kings
Conn Smythe winner Jon Quick, captain Dustin Brown and a
core of players in or entering their primes have many believing a
repeat is highly possible.
1. New York Rangers
With Lundqvist in net, dynamite ‘D,’ a new sniper in
Nash and a Calder favorite in Kreider, the Blueshirts have to be
considered Cup favorites.
This article originally appeared in the October 2012 issue of New England Hockey Journal.
Twitter: @JesseNEHJ
Email: jconnolly@hockeyjournal.com
