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The 2016-17 NHL season was great for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans. Led by superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as well as young star goalie Matt Murray, the Penguins were the first team to successfully defend their Stanley Cup title since the mighty Detroit Red Wings of the late '90s. Even without their star number one defenseman, Kris Letang, Crosby & company were able to win the 16 playoff games required to hoist Lord Stanley’s prize.
Going into the 2017-18 NHL season with the majority of their Cup winning roster still intact along with a healthy Letang, the Penguins are favorites once again. Will Pittsburgh once again rise to the top of the NHL to defend their throne and become the first dynasty to win three consecutive Cups since the dominant Islanders of the early ‘80s?
It is often said that the Stanley Cup is the most difficult trophy to win in all of sports. Winning consecutive championships is even more difficult given the physical and mental toll a deep playoff run can take on a team. Winning three in a row has never been done in the salary cap era, and although the Penguins have multiple Hall of Famers on their roster, a three-peat is a tall order. There are several teams who have a good chance to dethrone the Penguins this year; here are three of the top contenders to have their names engraved at season's end.
Edmonton Oilers
With the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft, the direction of the Oilers franchise changed completely. The addition of Connor McDavid has quickly turned Edmonton from perennial duds to Stanley Cup contenders. With McDavid and breakout star Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers have the best one-two punch at center ice that doesn’t include Sidney Crosby.
Over the last few seasons, GM Peter Chiarelli has made several trades, adding key pieces such as defenseman Adam Larsson, goal-scoring tough guy Patrick Maroon, and starting goalie Cam Talbot while casting aside players who were used to the losing culture and unable to perform when it mattered most, like Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. This year’s version of the high-flying young Oilers has as good a chance as any to grow together and dethrone the two-time champs.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Going into last season, Tampa Bay was a favorite pick to win the Stanley Cup. Then, everything that could go wrong seemingly did. Superstar captain Steven Stamkos went down early in the season and the injuries piled up from there.
Despite their misfortune, the Lightning made a late season push and nearly found themselves in playoff position by the end of the regular season. Defenseman Victor Hedman had a breakout year and joined the NHL’s top tier of elite scoring defensemen. Nikita Kucherov followed up his breakout 30-goal season with 40, and backup goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy emerged as a bona fide number one goalie after Ben Bishop was shipped out of town.
Add Steven Stamkos back into the mix of talent in Tampa, and you have a true Cup contender.
Ottawa Senators
I know what you’re thinking: “The Senators don’t belong on this list, they don’t have the talent to compete with a juggernaut like the Penguins!”
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Well, somehow Ottawa managed to take Pittsburgh to overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. The Senators were a goal away from eliminating the Penguins last season and they boast be an improved team this year with the addition of World Jr. MVP defenseman Thomas Chabot, a motivated superstar in Erik Karlsson, and a deep group of young forwards that can carry this team to another deep run.
The main reason for their success is not on the ice, however; it is on the bench. Coach Guy Boucher’s system has been called boring, but with Boucher calling the shots, the Sens were able to give playoff opponents fits while winning not only the low scoring games, but also some high scoring come-from-behind barn-burners.
Ottawa has the ability to score big goals in the clutch and will surprise many fans again this season as they once again compete for the Stanley Cup.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Washington Capitals
Consistently on top of the league during the regular season, the Caps can never seem to bring their A-game and get past the second round, or the Penguins. Could this be the year they manage to do both?
Nashville Predators
Last season's Cup finalist looked overwhelmed against the Penguins after a great run through the Western Conference. Now, their young roster is a year older and a year more experienced. The sting of defeat will push them to want more.
Chicago Blackhawks
Is there one more Cup run left in the Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews superstar tandem?
