You’d be exhausting pressed to search out something innately funnier than Canada’s incapability to win a Stanley Cup over the past three a long time. The nation that gave us the game of hockey, nurtured its tradition, and supplies over 40% of gamers within the league hasn’t had a staff hoist the cup since 1993, when the Montreal Canadiens beat Wayne Gretzky and the L.A. Kings.
In that point we’ve seen groups from Florida win the cup 4 occasions, Carolina win as soon as — even Las Vegas and Dallas have had their time within the solar. The Toronto Raptors have an NBA championship, the Blue Jays received a World Sequence, all whereas Canada’s collective hockey drought continued.
2025 may very well be the yr that adjustments all that. Eight groups are left within the playoffs, three are from Canada. Winnipeg was one of the best statistical staff within the NHL this season, the Maple Leafs confirmed main grit in beating the defending champions in Sport 1, and Edmonton proved within the west that their top-line expertise might overcome Vegas’ depth on Tuesday evening.
Now comes the massive take a look at. Toronto takes the ice on Wednesday evening to try to go up 2-0, and the Jets want to indicate they belong in opposition to Dallas following a sequence in opposition to St. Louis that was far too shut for consolation. It’s time to dig into the three Canadian groups left and see whether or not they have what it takes to go all the best way this yr, and why they’ve struggled a lot because the Canadiens win in 1993.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers will endlessly be inexorably linked to Wayne Gretzky’s legacy, and now they’ve the closest participant to comply with in his footsteps. Connor McDavid is such a phenom that Edmonton has largely been in a position to make the playoffs solely on the stick of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and it’s been that approach for years.
The problem, because it perpetually has been, is that the Oilers lack protection and goaltending must make deep runs within the playoffs. They’re very a lot constructed to be an unimaginable common season staff that lacks the depth wanted to win a cup. For some time it appeared like there was an opportunity to vary this, however the entrance workplace made the choice to maintain McDavid and Draisaitl collectively — paying two monumental ahead salaries, quite than letting Draisaitl stroll and spending the cash elsewhere.
This staff has the potential to attain in bunches and power groups into deep waters. It may be tough to dig out, particularly if the protection is on level. Sadly too typically it’s not. It might be superb to get McDavid a cup, nevertheless it’s iffy to financial institution on them in opposition to the sector.
What’s gone fallacious over time?
Shedding Gretzky was one factor, however the Oilers had a protracted, painful loss of life after that which noticed them slowly worsen and worse. The nadir actually got here after shedding the 2006 Stanley Cup to Carolina, which led to a number of the worst seasons in franchise historical past in fast succession.
This did permit the Oilers to land some phenomenal expertise like Taylor Corridor, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and the aforementioned McDavid — however the staff over-invested in ahead play on the expense of the remainder of their staff. They’re a perennial playoff staff now. They’ve the primary line expertise to make the Stanley Cup, however whether or not or not they will win is one other story.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Yearly there’s hope relating to the Leafs, and yearly they discover a solution to blow it. The NHL’s equal of the Dallas Cowboys, Toronto is perpetually a staff that appears sensible on paper, but finds methods to squander their expertise when video games matter probably the most.
This 2024-25 iteration of the Leafs is way from good. They’re a bit of too top-heavy of their traces and their penalty kill is middling, at greatest. Nonetheless, there’s no denying that one thing feels totally different about this Toronto staff to previous iterations.
It begins with the ludicrous expertise up entrance. Solely Edmonton can boast an identical degree of star energy. The primary line Toronto has been utilizing of Matthew Knies/Auston Matthews/Mitch Marner is a killer group, and having the ability to boast Max Pacioretty/John Tavares/Williams Nylander as a second line is simply absurd.
In relation to projecting their cup-winning potential it’s going to return down to 2 issues:
- Can the Maple Leafs be robust sufficient on the forecheck to take stress off their protection?
- Will Anthony Stolarz have the ability to maintain up in internet?
If Toronto could make it previous Florida by proving No. 1, then they’ll need to content material with both the Capitals or Canes to show No. 2. If these each occur there’s a really actual likelihood they might beat whoever comes out of the west.
What’s gone fallacious over time?
How a lot time do you may have? Reality be informed, it’s been a brutal 5 a long time because the Leafs final received the Stanley Cup in 1967. Over that point they’ve made the playoffs 36 occasions and did not even return to the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a company that has made the playoffs in every of the final 9 seasons, and by no means made it additional than the second spherical.
An absence of star energy has been the largest drawback. It is a franchise that has been so constantly good that they haven’t ever been fairly dangerous sufficient to land famous person expertise, at the very least till 2016 when the Leafs managed to draft Auston Matthews with the No. 1 choose. Matthews and Mitch Marner signify one of the best 1-2 punch this staff has had in a long time, and will in the end be what places them excessive.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets have been completely phenomenal through the 2024-25 common season. Combining environment friendly offensive play with stellar protection allowed them to play an old-school sport within the trendy period. The kings of selecting their pictures, there was little or no wasted momentum from the Jets all season lengthy, and with the stellar Connor Hellebuyck in purpose in allowed them to soar.
The issue has been these playoffs. Seemingly the staff has become a pumpkin. Predicting a simple Spherical 1 sweep in opposition to St. Louis appeared like a protected wager after their common season dominance, however they have been takent to seven video games and have been on the point of elimination.
Defensively the staff collapsed, Hellebuyck had huge points discovering the puck, and too typically the Jets have been pushed off their marks defensively, which opened up screens. Now they need to face Dallas, who’re a favourite to win the cup after their commerce deadline acquisition of Mikko Rantanen. It appears like their story may finish on this sequence.
What’s gone fallacious over time?
Winnipeg was a sufferer of small market bias. The primary iteration of the staff had phenomenal success, however got here simply as NHL growth was on the league’s thoughts. This led to their relocation to Arizona, abandoning the fanbase till 2011.
When the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to present Winnipeg a staff it was a tough slog for some time, however the staff constructed slowly right into a contender. Now it appears they’ve all of the components wanted to win a cup, as long as they will discover their kind once more. The 2024-25 staff is the results of years of labor, and this could be the closest they’ll get for an additional decade.
