B/R NHL Roundtable: Biggest Threat to the Avalanche's Stanley Cup Hopes This Season

There's no question about it: The Colorado Avalanche are heavy favorites to repeat as Stanley Cup champions this season.

Listed at +380 on DraftKings Sportsbook to win it all again, the Avs have everything you could want in a Cup contender: a high-powered set of forwards led by Nathan MacKinnon and a deep defensive core anchored by Cale Makar.

But repeating as champion is never easy in any sport, especially one as volatile as hockey. There are 31 other teams hungry to knock off Colorado from its lofty perch.

So, which team has the best chance to do it? Our B/R NHL Staff comes together for another roundtable to debate and discuss potential contenders.

Disagree with our choices? Make sure to sound off and make your voice heard in the comments below!

Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen (left) and defenseman Brent Burns (Kaydee Gawlik/NHLI via Getty Images).

RALEIGH, NC - OCTOBER 1: Teuvo Teravainen #86 and Brent Burns #8 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers at PNC Arena on October1, 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Kaydee Gawlik/NHLI via Getty Images)

Over the past four seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes have become one of the top teams in the league. They finished atop the Metropolitan Division in 2021-22 with 116 points and were second overall in the Eastern Conference.

However, they've struggled to advance past the second round and establish themselves as true Stanley Cup contenders.

The Hurricanes have not been afraid in recent years to make significant moves to bolster their roster. This offseason was no different, as they acquired Brent Burns from the San Jose Sharks and Max Pacioretty from the Vegas Golden Knights.

A former winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy, the 37-year-old Burns provides additional leadership and experienced puck-moving skills to an already deep Hurricanes blue line. Pacioretty will bring solid offensive abilities to their scoring lines once he returns from surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

Burns and Pacioretty join a Hurricanes roster stocked with talent. Led by Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teräväinen, they possess a solid mix of top-six forwards that will only get better should promising forwards Martin Nečas and Seth Jarvis improve as projected.

The defense is led by underrated two-way blueliner Jaccob Slavin, with the dependable Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce on the second pairing. Frederik Andersen was among last season's top starting goalies. His absence from the playoffs due to a late-season injury contributed to the Hurricanes' second-round loss to the New York Rangers.

Well-coached by Rod Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes have a solid mix of young talent and established veteran stars. This season's roster is arguably their best since their 2005-06 Stanley Cup team.

Expect the Canes to become the beasts of the East and the biggest threat to the Avalanche's hopes of a championship repeat.

- Lyle Richardson

Edmonton Oilers

Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

EDMONTON, AB - MAY 22: Edmonton Oilers Center Connor McDavid (97) and Edmonton Oilers Center Leon Draisaitl (29) in power play action in the first period during the Edmonton Oilers versus the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup playoffs round 2, game 3 on May 22, 2022 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. (Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Edmonton Oilers are the team that's best positioned to throw the Colorado Avalanche from their throne and win the Stanley Cup.

The Avs swept the Oilers in the Western Conference Final, but two of those losses—Games 1 and 3—were essentially one-goal games. Empty-net goals made them two-goal losses. Game 4 was a tough 6-5 loss in overtime.

Although the Avalanche offense is beyond difficult to stop, the Oilers’ biggest issue was their goaltending. They addressed that this summer by signing Jack Campbell away from the Toronto Maple Leafs to take over in goal.

With all due respect to Mike Smith, who did play well in the postseason despite an occasional midgame hiccup, Campbell is a marked upgrade at the position.

In three seasons with the Leafs, Campbell had a .916 save percentage. In the playoffs against Montreal two years ago, Campbell was outstanding despite the seven-game first-round series loss. He didn’t fare nearly as well last postseason against Tampa Bay, but that series was a goal bonanza between both teams.

Adding a consistently strong goaltender gives the Oilers the chance to build upon a fantastic offensive attack featuring the NHL’s best player, Connor McDavid, and their other top-five scorer and former MVP, Leon Draisaitl. Those two along with Evander Kane and Zach Hyman give them one of the most potent attacks in the league, and they have the speed and skill to keep up with the high-flying Avalanche.

If the Avs are going to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, they will likely have to go through Alberta. An Oilers team with the same dynamic offense and better goaltending makes them a foe the Avs would rather not see come playoff time.

- Joe Yerdon

Toronto Maple Leafs

Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images

- NO PHOTO CREDIT - - NO PHOTO CREDIT - TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 8: Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) gets his 1st preseason goal as line mates Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44), Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitchell Marner (16), Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Michael Bunting (58) and Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander (88) come to celebrate. Toronto Maple Leafs vs Detroit Red Wings during 3rd period play NHL pre season action at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Leafs won 5-1. Toronto Star/Rick Madonik (Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since Lester Pearson and Lyndon Johnson were calling the capital-city shots in Ottawa and Washington, D.C., respectively.

However, no team outside south Florida scored more goals than the Maple Leafs did in 2021-22, and no team returns both the league's leading goal scorer alongside another top-10 point-getter like they do in the form of Austin Matthews and Mitch Marner, not to mention the sixth-most prolific blue-line scorer in Morgan Rielly.

So if it's a question of star power and scoring depth, Toronto is certainly in the fight. As for the title drought, let's reflect on some recent things.

The Avalanche won the Presidents' Trophy in 2020-21, but it didn't lead to a parade. In fact, no team won more games in 2019-20 and 2020-21 combined than the Av, and all they got for it was the ignominy of consecutive second-round exits.

Their penthouse predecessors in Tampa Bay also experienced some agony prior to the ecstasy. The won a record-tying 62 regular-season games in 2018-19 before getting swept by the eighth-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets in the opening round, making them the first Presidents' winner not to win a single playoff game.

The Lightning shook it off and hung two straight banners. The Avalanche did the same and got theirs in June. Assuming the Maple Leafs can't follow suit is lazy logic.

Add in the fact that they'll be backstopped this season by Matt Murray, who already has two rings from his days in Pittsburgh and has far better career stats than Avalanche hero Darcy Kuemper had this time last year, and it becomes easier to see the path.

They're good. They're deep. They're hungry. Which is why, come next June, they'll be champions, too.

Be afraid, Colorado fans. Be very afraid.

- Lyle Fitzsimmons