Tier 1: The Stanley Cup Contenders
Now is the time for the four best teams in the league.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets have the pieces for a long run. Patrik Laine is a contender for the Rocket Richard Trophy, a year after scoring 44 goals. Blake Wheeler had 91 last season. Mark Scheifele and Bryan Little are legitimate top-six centers. The top defensive pairing of Josh Morrissey and Jacob Trouba is one of the best in the NHL, and when you’re not facing those two, you’re likely facing Dustin Byfuglien.
Connor Hellebuyck, in a league gradually losing elite goaltenders, is taking the mantle from Lundqvist and Quick. He could be enough to get the Jets out of a merciless conference, in which another second round meeting with the Predators looks likely. The margins will be tight, and with Laine and Wheeler at the top of the lineup and Cup-caliber depth, Winnipeg could put it all together this season.
Nashville Predators
The Sharks just acquired Erik Karlsson to play on the same team as Brent Burns, and the Predators can still make an argument for having the better six. Ryan Ellis, Roman Josi, PK Subban, and Mattias Ekholm is their top four. New free agent acquisition Dan Hamhuis will be on the third pair with Yannick Weber. It’s possible that all of their d-men would be the top defenseman on the Maple Leafs.
They don’t have the same top-tier talent on offense, but they’re deep and they’ll score plenty with Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson. Kyle Turris was a nice get from the Senators last year. Nick Bonino is the epitome of a capable third-line center. Zac Rinaldo was a curious signing, but Nashville looked stacked up front, too.
Pekka Rinne wasn’t great in the postseason last year, but he was elite in the regular season. Juuse Saros looks like the future at that position.
San Jose Sharks
Burns and Karlsson are only part of loaded defensive corps in San Jose. Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Justin Braun, Joakim Ryan and Brendan Dillon are the Sharks’ other defenseman. The Sharks will generate plenty of offense from the blue-line — Karlsson and Burns are renegades, and they will each be paired with less aggressive partners. Add in the easier matchups each will get every night and the Sharks look scary already.
The key for the Sharks at the top of the lineup is age. Joe Thornton is 39 and Joe Pavelski is 34. If those two see drop-offs or injuries, San Jose could drop a tier. 22-year-old Timo Meier is the next generation, and Logan Couture could carry a heavy weight on the second line, potentially alongside two of Meier, Evander Kane, Tomas Hertl and Kevin Labanc.
Their Cup chances could come down to goaltender Martin Jones. A strong season from Jones could put the Sharks in a position to take the Pacific Division.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Having had a few seasons now of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman, it’s astounding that the Lightning have yet to win a Stanley Cup. Their power play is lethal, and Kucherov and Stamkos form arguably the best scoring duo in the league. Kucherov was fantastic last season, scoring 100 points with 39 goals.
Consider their other offensive pieces: JT Miller, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde, Alex Killorn. They didn’t get Karlsson, but they’ve done well over the years to maintain this exceptionally talented team. Add Anton Stralman and the recently-extended Ryan McDonough to the Hedman-led blue-liners.
This feels like a possible Vezina season from Andrei Vasilevskiy, too. Possibly more than any other team in the league, now is the time for Tampa to grab a ring with this exciting core. Failing to win this year, in a relatively weaker year for the Atlantic Division, would be a tough blow.