Stanley Cup contenders and pretenders as the playoffs approach

The Avalanche are the best team in the league on paper and on the ice. The roster is absolutely loaded from top to bottom with superstar forwards, what is probably the best defense in the league, and an underrated goalie in Darcy Kuemper that has been outstanding this season. They started the year 4-5-1 through their first 10 games. They are 48-9-5 since then. They are the odds on favorites for a reason. Anything less than the Western Conference Final would be a massive disappointment. 

This is the best offense the NHL has seen in over 25 years, averaging well over four goals per game. They are fast, physical, have an aggressive forecheck, and when Aaron Ekblad is healthy boast a very formidable defense. They are capable of embarrassing any team on any night with their offense, regularly scoring six or seven goals in games. The only thing that might hold them back is if Sergei Bobrovsky struggles in the playoffs again. He has been struggling for the past two months, so it is definitely something to watch. Otherwise, this team is loaded.

The Flames are an elite defensive team under head coach Darryl Sutter and have a goalie in Jacob Markstrom that is having a career year. That alone makes them a fierce contender. But they also have one of the best top-line duos in the league in Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau (outscoring teams by an insane XX-XX margin when they are on the ice during 5-on-5 play) and significantly improved their scoring depth before the NHL Trade Deadline with the additions of Tyler Toffoli from the Montreal Canadiens and Calle Jarnkrok from the Seattle Kraken. 

This is the most complete team on paper in the Eastern Conference, and probably second to only Colorado in the entire NHL. Their forwards are young and talented with great depth, the defense is rock solid from top-to-bottom, and Frederik Andersen has been everything they could have possibly hoped for and more in goal. This is a sensational team led by Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Teuvo Teravainen, and Vincent Trocheck upfront. 

The Wild have become one of the league's most exciting teams the past two seasons thanks in large part to the top-line duo of Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. Very good defensively, excellent depth, and now they have two capable goaltending options in Cam Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury. If Fleury gets hot he could be a game-changer for them in the playoffs and make them a really tough out. This is the year for them to really go for it because the salary cap situation is going to get tricky the next few years due to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter before the start of the 2021-22 NHL season. 

They have been struggling a bit down the stretch, but this is not a team to take lightly. They are the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champions and know what it takes to win and when to flip the switch. They are still loaded at forward with Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, and Ondrej Palat leading the way. Even though their entire third line from the past two Stanley Cup runs ( Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, Yanni Gourde) is playing elsewhere they find solid replacements in Corey Perry and Brandon Hagel. As if the forwards are not good enough, they also have one of the top defenders of this era in Victor Hedman leading the defense, and the league's best goalie in Andrei Vasilevskiy who can always steal a game and a series. 

The Maple Leafs have a fantastic offense led by Auston Matthews and his historic goal-scoring season, and their defense is a lot better than it gets credit for being. They have also played really well against some of the league's top teams this season. They are capable of going on a run. The problem, though, is they actually have to prove it after five consecutive First Round exits with this team and with a major question mark in net. If they get the first half of the season Jack Campbell they can win. If they get the second half Jack Campbell, or if he is not healthy, they will have another short postseason experience this season. 

There was a lot of reason to doubt the Rangers early in the season, but the trade deadline additions of Andrew Copp, Justin Braun, Frank Vatrano, and Tyler Motte have been game-changers for a team that already has some top tier players at forward and defense and a Vezina caliber goaltending performance in goal. Igor Shesterkin can take them very far, and he now appears to have more help than he did earlier in the season. Their time has arrived right now. 

When healthy this is an excellent team. Their superstars (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang) are still great, they are very good defensively, have a great penalty kill, and have some really good complementary players (including Jake Guentzel, who is one of the best all-around wingers in the league). They have also played well against some of the league's top contenders this season. Tristan Jarry is still a big question mark in goal, though, after his playoff performance a year ago and he has been struggling a bit during the stretch run of the regular season. If Jarry plays well, they have the potential to make another run at another championship with this core group of superstars. 

They have had a great record this season considering the fact they played half of the season without three of their top-six forwards (Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Anthony Mantha). Alex Ovechkin is still a dominant goal scorer, and the team overall is excellent. The question is in goal, where Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek have not played well. At all. That could hold them back. But like Pittsburgh and Toronto, they could go on a run if the goaltending holds out. 

The Bruins are tough to figure out. They have played really well this season, are great defensively, and still have some high-end forwards in Patrice Bergeron (having an amazing season), David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Taylor Hall, and Craig Smith. But the goaltending is a big question mark and there is this giant red flag: Their record against the league's top-10 teams and other playoff teams this season is absolutely abysmal, especially when compared to the other top teams in the league. They have beaten up on the teams they should beat, but have been beaten up by the good teams. That is a problem because you are only going to be playing other good teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Roman Josi is having a historic season on Nashville's blue line and looking to be the first defender in 30 years to record a 100-point season. They have a great goalie in Juuse Saros who is having another sensational season. They have also had great bounce-back seasons from all of their big-money forwards in Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen, and Filip Forsberg. But they are seriously lacking in quality depth at both forward and defense and I just do not know if they have enough to beat teams like Colorado, Minnesota, or Calgary in a best-of-seven series. 

The Blues offense is outstanding, and one of the best in the league. But they are really lacking on defense and their goaltending is a huge question mark. Jordan Binnington has been awful this season after back-to-back playoff meltdowns, and Ville Husso is very unproven in the playoffs. Those are two big question marks to have. Good team. Good playoff team. Might win a round. But probably not a Stanley Cup team. 

This season has been a huge step forward for the Kings and their future is extremely bright with their young talent and veteran core. But they are sliding at the wrong time and have too many questions and weaknesses on defense and in goal. They are still in the driver's seat for a playoff spot (which would be a huge victory and success for them this season) 

This is a fascinating team. When healthy they should be one of the best teams in the league and an obvious Stanley Cup contender. They have not been healthy this season, and salary cap issues have made it difficult for them to get everybody in the lineup even when they are healthy. They are not a lock to make the playoffs and are still very much on the bubble. They could easily miss. But if they do get in? If they make the playoffs and get Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Jack Eichel, and Robin Lehner all on the ice together, with a team that has over a $90 million payroll? Nobody is going to want to play them. They could easily go on a run. The problem is going to be actually making the playoffs to have that chance. They are getting closer but they need some help. Complete wild card of a team. 

The Stars have a lot going for them. Jason Robertson is one of the best all-around players in the league and a blossoming superstar, Joe Pavelski, and Roope Hintz are outstanding, and Jake Oettinger has been pretty good in net. But they have some pretty significant depth question marks that will make it difficult for them to stack up against and match up with the other top teams in the Western Conference and the league. 

So here is the thing about the Oilers. They have MAJOR question marks on defense and in goal. Both positions are probably very bad. But here is what they have going for them. They have the two best offensive players in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That gives them a chance. They have also played much, much much, much, MUCH better under coach Jay Woodcroft than they did under Dave Tippett. Also if the playoff standings hold as they are, they would get a very favorable matchup with the Los Angeles Kings in the First Round, and potentially the Calgary Flames in the Second Round. They can win both of those. That would put them in the Western Conference Finals. If you get that far, anything can happen in a best-of-seven series. The two superstars, improved play under a new coach, and potential path in the first two rounds might be enough to overcome the many obvious flaws this team still has.