These are the 10 teams in the NHL who have the best chance at making a deep playoff run and hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup:
1. Winnipeg Jets
They have been the best team all season, and every time it’s looked like another team might take that title away from them, they just regain their momentum. If they don’t make it deep into the playoffs, it would be an upset, and in many ways, they are the best bet to win it all.
2. Washington Capitals
They are still closer to challenging the Jets for their hold on 1st place than they are to slip back into the rest of the pack. Ovechkin is getting closer and closer to Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, and the Capitals are scoring more goals per game than any other team. How fitting, then, it would be for the Caps to win the Stanley Cup this year. It almost seems destined to happen…
3. Dallas Stars
Dallas has been improving their game all season and it is no question that they are one of the best teams in the game. Their 3rd line is now as good offensively as the 1st line of many other teams, and the Stars are also very strong defensively. Their depth gives them the ability to keep rolling despite the injuries or cold spells of individual players. They are a tenacious group that doesn’t quit. Exactly what it takes to win the cup.
4. Florida Panthers
They just got that much better with their recent acquisition of star defender Seth Jones. They are gaining considerable momentum and now have the look of defending champions intent on reminding everyone who won the Stanley Cup last year.
5. Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have a high-octane offense led by 2 of the best players in the NHL: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the latter of which has scored more goals than any other player this year (44), and it isn’t particularly close (next highest is William Nylander with 35). They also have one of the best offensive defensemen in the game with Evan Bouchard. Though Edmonton isn’t particularly good defensively, their offense is so lethal that they could win the Stanley Cup regardless.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning
With 2 excellent front lines, very good defense and goaltending, Tampa Bay is looking really good right now. They trail only the Capitals in goals per game and are top 5 defensively. The Lightning have been one of the best teams in the current hockey era, winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. Each year they feel like a strong contender with a great chance of winning, and 2025 is no different, especially with Andrei Vasilevskiy looking better than ever in the crease.
7. Vegas Golden Knights
They are a very well rounded team that isn’t really elite in any way (aside maybe their power play) but does everything very well. For a good stretch this season Vegas was playing like they were the best team in the NHL, though they have cooled off a good amount since. Can they recapture that form in time for the playoffs and win it all? It’s certainly possible. After all, it’s only been 2 years since the last time they did.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
Their top 2 lines are full of talent: Matthews, Marner, Knies, Nylander and Tavares are all performing at an elite level. Woll and Stolarz have also been phenomenal in net, and while the Leafs have their holes defensively this squad is good enough to take on any other team on any given night. Toronto could continue to gain more momentum as we get closer and closer to the playoffs, and if Auston Matthews in particular catches fire at the right time for Toronto, then there will be nothing stopping them from surging their way to winning their first Stanley Cup since 1967.
9. Carolina Hurricanes
They are a very strong team, with the hyper-talented Mikko Rantanen and Sebastien Aho on their first line and a rock-solid goalie tandem of Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov in the net. If Andrei Svechnikov can build some chemistry with Rantanen and Aho on the top line Carolina regains some momentum, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.
10. New Jersey Devils
They are elite defensively, allowing the 2nd least goals per game in the NHL, but they also have some exciting offensive pieces. Young superstar Jack Hughes has been as good as everyone in New Jersey was hoping he’d be this year, and next to him, Jesper Bratt has been generating apples left and right, with 51 assists now (only 2 less than Connor McDavid, for context). Hughes went down with an injury recently, and there is currently no timetable for his return, so if it’s a significant one, that could severely impact New Jersey’s chances at winning the cup. Hopefully, Hughes is ok and returns soon.
