10,000 days. That’s who long it’s been since a Canadian NHL team has won the Stanley Cup. I haven’t even been alive for that long. And it could’ve ended in so many different ways too. Whether it’s from hitting the post on a wide-open net to having a goal go in and then not count, to running into a hot goalie. Canada just hasn’t had it’s luck when it comes to getting another Stanley Cup. However, I want to discuss this with all of you and it’s a dangerous one indeed, but here I go. Which Canadian team will win the Stanley Cup next?
(@MapleLeafs / Twitter) https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1292082083217760257
Eastern Conference
As much as it hurts me to say this, but you can’t say it isn’t the Toronto Maple Leafs if you’re choosing a team from the east. The Leafs top forwards is an absolute nightmare for any team in the league. Whether it’s Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander or John Tavares. Anyone of those forwards could have a multi-point night. But their most glaring weakness is their defence. Sure Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and T.J Brodie aren’t bad players, but after that, it’s not great. Not even Frederik Andersen can cover all of their defensive mistakes on a nightly basis.
Now if we move on to the Montreal Canadiens, it’s a different story. The Canadiens have a much more stable group of players on defence. Led by Shea Weber, Jeff Petry and Ben Chiarot. It may not be the most mobile group of players, but they’re all responsible defensively. Then you add Carey Price into the mix and you have yourself a team that, theoretically, won’t allow a lot of goals. Then when you switch to their offence, it’s not like the one the Leafs have. Where Montreal lacks in a true superstar, it makes up for it with some solid depth throughout their lineup. Guys like Brendan Gallagher, Jonathan Drouin, Tomas Tatar are all good forwards. Then the Canadiens went and added Josh Anderson by trading away Max Domi and signed Tyler Toffoli in free agency. Now the Canadiens are just hoping Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi can make the next step towards becoming bigger contributors this next season.
Now in regards to the Ottawa Senators, well, the future’s looking brighter. Right now they’re not ready to compete for a playoff spot, but I won’t be surprised to see the Senators become a powerhouse in the next 5-6 years.
(@Canucks / Twitter) https://twitter.com/Canucks/status/1290852660581548032
Western Conference
Where to begin. I guess I’ll start with the Calgary Canucks… I mean the Calgary Flames. I think it’s fair to say the Flames underperformed last season. After coming off a season in which they finished 1st in the Western Conference and were then beaten by the Colorado Avalanche in five games. To a 79 point, 3rd place finish in the Pacific Division. This was mainly due to having guys like Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan having sub-par seasons. But also having Matthew Tkachuk is also a blessing for any franchise. And it seems as if Tkachuk will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come. But in response to their underwhelming season. What do they do? Add Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev and Josh Leivo. All players from the Vancouver Canucks. So don’t be surprised if they make some noise this season and many more going forward. Especially if Gaudreau and Monahan find their games again. As for the other Alberta based team.
The Edmonton Oilers have arguably the two best players in the league on their team in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl but have had basically nothing to show for it so far with those two. McDavid is a multiple Hart Trophy winner and Draisaitl just won his first one. So you’d think they’d have more success. Well as it turns out if you don’t have any supporting cast. You’re not going to win a lot of games. And now with Ken Holland taking over from Peter Chiarelli, it does seem like the Oilers are heading in the right direction. If they were able to add more to their defence and get a better goalie in free agency this year, I’d say the Oilers would’ve had a much better shot to win than they currently do. But who knows. Maybe Tyson Barrie was the missing piece the Oilers needed and they’ll win it all this year, but I have my doubts.
Now we land with the Winnipeg Jets. A team that was looking so promising and then went and did a complete 180 with their defence and now they’re looking like a team on the outside looking in. It’s a similar situation with the Leafs in that the Jets have a really good core group of forwards. Such as; Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers. But then you have to talk about their defence. Which is even worse than what Toronto has. Josh Morrisey is a good player, but it’s rough after that with Dylan DeMelo looking like their next best defender. Though at least the Jets have the reigning Vezina Trophy winner in Connor Hellebuyck in goal. But the most baffling thing about the Jets right now is their willingness to hear trade offers on Laine. Who, if I had on my team, I’d probably never trade him. But after seeing how everything has been playing out in Winnipeg, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Laine get traded in order to get a big defenseman.
And last, but certainly not least. The Vancouver Canucks. What looked like a positive step forward for the organization, seems to have instead taken about three steps back after losing Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, Troy Stetcher and Tyler Toffoli to free agency. Of course, it’s fantastic knowing the Canucks have guys like Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Bo Horvat, J.T Miller and Brock Boeser. But considering all the support they’ve now lost for nothing. It seems to point in the direction of a team not making a playoff push when next season rolls around. Even after adding players like Braden Holtby and Nate Schmidt to help soften the blow. It doesn’t look like enough considering how other teams around them have improved more this offseason. But if we’re taking a look at the big picture here, the Canucks are still a promising team in 5-10 years. They just need to do some shuffling of some players and then they’ll be looking much better.
So as it currently stands. If I’m going to pick a team to be the next Canadian team to win it all. I’m going to have to reluctantly pick the Toronto Maple Leafs. Believe me, I didn’t want to pick them, but after looking at their roster compared to others. The Leafs have a group of forwards that are lethal when they’re in the offensive zone. I also think TJ Brodie will be a good addition to their defence. And while Frederik Andersen may not be around for long, he’s still an okay option for them for next season.
That’s it, let me know if I’m completely off and leave a comment below saying who you think will be the next Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup.