Face-Off: Who will win a Cup first, the Toronto Maple Leafs or Winnipeg Jets?

The great nation of Canada hasn’t hoisted the Stanley Cup since 1993, and nearly everyone agrees that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets are the country’s best hopes at doing so soon. But which team will win it first?

Hockey dominance has eluded Canada as of late.

The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings to win the 1993 Stanley Cup, but no Canadian team has done so since.

And the state of hockey in Canada has been, shall we say, inconsistent. After the 2016-17 season, five Canadian teams advanced to the postseason: the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.

This season, only the Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg Jets will represent the Great White North in the Stanley Cup playoffs. One of them might hoist the nation’s first Cup in 25 years this season, or might do so in the near future — but which one will do it first?

Both teams are due for a Cup. The Jets have never won one; after a decade of dominance in the 1960s, the Maple Leafs haven’t earned one since 1967.

The case for Toronto: Riley Butler

Riley rightfully points out that there are a lot of similarities between the Maple Leafs and the Jets. They both have game-changing young stars in Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine, respectively, and they have both benefited from outstanding goaltending — a necessity for advancing in the postseason. In his argument, Riley leans heavily on the idea that Toronto has a stronger front office in Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello and that goalie Frederik Andersen has playoff experience.

The case for Winnipeg: David Rouben

David argues that Laine was the biggest missing piece for the Jets, who already had a strong core in place in Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers. But David’s most compelling point is this: “Winnipeg’s reliable defense has kept Connor Hellebuyck’s workload down — despite the fact that he’s started the same amount of games as Frederik Andersen, he has faced almost 200 fewer total shots than him.”

The winner

David’s point about Winnipeg’s defense is too compelling to ignore. Anderson and Hellebuyck are both talented netminders, but the Jets blue line makes Hellebuyck’s job so much easier.

Next: 10 reasons Stanley Cup Playoffs are better than NBA Playoffs

Goaltending is one of, if not the most, important areas of the game in the postseason, and the Jets are built to maximize their game there.

Winner: David Rouben