1 Thing Holding Back Top 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Contenders
We are just about three weeks out from the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Playoffs. These three weeks will be as entertaining as the regular season gets, with Alex Ovechkin within reach of the all-time goals record and the five-team pileup that is the battle for the East’s No. 2 wild-card spot.
At this point, though, we pretty much know who the top dogs are. As the Capitals and Jets duke it out for the Presidents’ Trophy, good vibes persist in Washington and elite goaltending persists in Winnipeg. We’ve watched enough of the teams at the top of the league at this point to know nobody’s perfect, and each team has at least one flaw that could hold it back from hoisting the Cup this season.
As we enjoy the battle in the East, let’s take a look at one thing that could hold back 2025 Cup contenders.
Carolina Hurricanes: Playoff Scoring
1 of 6
The Hurricanes have qualified for the playoffs for six consecutive years and are approaching a seventh as they sit comfortably in the Metropolitan Division’s No. 2 spot. This consistency and relevance has been crucial for the small-market team that went through an uninspired drought before new ownership and head coach Rod Brind’Amour took over.
Still, the team has yet to win an Eastern Conference Final game in this window, and players and fans alike are frustrated with the stagnation. We can look at specific facets of each playoff run for reasons: No truly elite goaltender who got hot at the right time, untimely injuries to key players, special teams woes.
No matter what else has been going on through the years, lack of clutch playoff scoring has been the glaring, persistent issue.
It’s even more concerning when you remember the two top goal-scorers from last season’s series with the Rangers–Jake Guentzel and Martin Necas–are no longer with the team. Both of them were the only Canes players to score three goals in the series, which ultimately ended in a stunning offensive explosion from Chris Krieder and the Rangers in the last game.
That being said, Seth Jarvis is coming into his own as he leads the team with 29 goals. Andrei Svechnikov is healthy and approaching 20 goals. Meanwhile, trade-deadline acquisition Taylor Hall is playing like the guy who won that Hart Trophy years ago, and Mark Jankowski has seven goals in 10 games with Carolina.
Will it be enough this time? Most of us will look to Jarvis for a signature playoff run.
Edmonton Oilers: Goaltending
2 of 6
It’s no surprise that the Oilers’ biggest concern is goaltending. It’s just how the team is designed: Put up the best offense in the league, with players who can break through better than anyone else, and crush it on the special teams. Usually that makes up for the rest, unless you’re in, hypothetically of course, the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Oilers got devastatingly close to winning it all last season, so it’s disappointing and confusing they didn’t even attempt to upgrade in goal.
According to MoneyPuck.com, Stuart Skinner ranks No. 49 in Goals Saved Above Expected among goalies who logged at least 15 games with -3.9. Calvin Pickard ranks No. 53 with -6.9. Both goalies own sub-.900 save percentages, and Skinner is out for now after taking an unfortunate stray knee to the head last week.
When Skinner is at his best he’s fantastic, and maybe he’ll go on that kind of tear this postseason. You just don’t want to have your postseason hopes hinge on something you could have identified as an issue and fixed.
Los Angeles Kings: The Edmonton Oilers
3 of 6
It looks like the Kings and Oilers are gearing up for another first-round matchup. As entertaining as these have been, they haven’t been kind to the Kings, who have lost three consecutive first-round series to the Oilers.
Last year’s showing was particularly bleak, as the Kings only won one game in the series, but maybe it’ll foster a bigger chip on Los Angeles’ shoulder?
Besides, things look different this year: The Oilers are trending down as the Kings are trending up, and the Kings could hang on to home ice. Could a little confidence go a long way as L.A. looks to solve the Oilers and advance to the second round for the first time since they won the Cup in 2013-14?
If not now, then when?
.jpg?w=256)
Toronto Maple Leafs: Past Playoff Demons
4 of 6
This Maple Leafs team is different. The stars are still shining, with killer seasons from Mitch Marner and William Nylander, and captain Auston Matthews is trending up as he appears to recover from injury.
But this is a more structurally sound, four-lines rolling, defense-actually-matters iteration of the Leafs, and this team isn’t looking to outscore its blemishes. This is why Toronto has climbed up to the Atlantic’s No. 1 spot, especially with the success of the Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz tandem in net.
Will this tougher-to-play-against team prove it has learned all the lessons in what could very well be the last year with this core intact? The Bruins are no longer a daunting first-round obstacle, the goaltending can be relied on, and the vibe is more mature. We’ll see.
Western Conference Contenders: A Brutal Road to the Cup Final
5 of 6
We’ve spent tons of time talking about the Eastern Conference bubble eating itself alive on the road to the 2024-25 postseason. There are about six teams that have been in or around the No. 2 wild-card spot at any given moment. This whole time, the best in the West have pretty much remained steady.
This means the first and second rounds out West are going to look like an even closer, less sloppy version of the Eastern Conference’s race to the playoffs. No matter how you slice it, there will be a few matchups that could’ve been a Conference Final or even a Stanley Cup Final in any other world.
This particular situation has been a challenge for the Stars, who have constructed pretty perfect hockey teams year after year and seem to fall just short of glory due to the West’s gauntlet and unfavorable positioning.
If the season ended today, you’d have the Jets playing the red-hot and determined Blues, the Stars playing the Avalanche (shudder), the improved Kings vs. the Oilers, and the Wild vs. the Golden Knights.
Get your popcorn out.
Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals: (Potential) Presidents' Trophy Curse
6 of 6
The top team in the East and the top team in the West are two very different squads.
The Capitals have a scoring legend who isn’t quite done on their hands, they made excellent offseason moves, and the talent up and down the lineup is topped off with some great coaching. The Jets have the best goaltender in the world, and a pristinely structured team all around.
Still, both clubs face a similar issue down the stretch: Will they get in their own heads? Will they stray from the good, happy-go-lucky vibes that contributed to their robust win columns?
Connor Hellebuyck is no doubt facing pressure to cement himself as an all-time great goalie and go on a signature playoff run. Alex Ovechkin is obviously nearing the end of his own story and looks to cap off his own legacy.
How do both of these teams use the pressure of their regular-season dominance for good as the meaningful hockey starts rolling around?
.jpg?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
