Dark Horse Contenders for the 2015-16 Stanley Cup

We are approaching the midway point of the season, and the standings today have many pleasant surprises and extreme disappointments.

It is a lot easier to project teams over the final 50 games than it is over 82, but there are many stories to come that will frame the season in unexpected ways.

If we can agree that there are seven teams who look like bona fide candidates to win the Stanley Cup—Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks—that leaves seven teams in the dark horse category, and here they are.

Anaheim Ducks

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Why are They a Candidate for the Stanley Cup? The Anaheim Ducks are a quality team with veteran scoring, a capable—if young—defense and emerging goaltending. A preseason article at NHL.com had many experts picking the Ducks to win their division. Anaheim was chosen by more than one expert to win it all.

Why are They a Dark Horse? The Ducks rank No. 14 and last in the Western Conference. They have performed badly through the first portion of the season. If they were in any other division in the NHL, the Ducks would already be talking about next year.

What has to Happen? Anaheim has only 58 goals in 31 games, and it badly needs its best offensive players to perform at traditional levels. A recent article by Rory Boylen of Sportsnet quotes coach Bruce Boudreau as saying he hopes pride kicks in. The second half may see a trade, or a coaching change, but the Ducks have way too much talent to continue their fade. When they turn around, the impact could be incredible, and don't discount the possibility of a long postseason winning streak.

Boston Bruins

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Why are They a Candidate for the Stanley Cup? The Boston Bruins have the remnants of the 2011 team that won the Stanley Cup, including David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara and Brad Marchand. The veterans in Boston give this team an edge on many nights.

Why are They a Dark Horse? Boston offloaded Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton over the summer, and it has many new pieces including Matt Beleskey and Colin Miller. A period of adjustment is the normal course for a new group of players.

What has to Happen? Boston has depth issues on defense and would probably need to acquire at least one player at the deadline. If it has a healthy roster, and those veterans play to their ability, Boston could surprise in the playoffs.

Detroit Red Wings

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Why are They a Candidate for the Stanley Cup? The Detroit Red Wings are one of the most successful franchises in the NHL. They still have veterans who were impact players on winning teams, like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.

Why are They a Dark Horse? After decades of finding elite players in the low portions of the draft, Detroit hasn't selected that kind of talent in some time. There is quality in the lineup and young Dylan Larkin may emerge as this generation's difference-maker in Detroit

What has to Happen? Detroit remains a quality team, despite the loss of coach Mike Babcock in the summer. It has been a few years between Cup victories, but the emergence of an offensive force like Larkin in the second half could get Detroit to the promised land with a mixture of youth and great, veteran talent.

Minnesota Wild

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Why are They a Candidate for the Stanley Cup? The Minnesota Wild have been building a Stanley Cup contender for several years. It is a veteran roster with outstanding talent, and it is led by Ryan Suter, Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu.

Why are They a Dark Horse? The Wild have some inconsistent areas, and some of their highly paid forwards are not scoring as expected. Players like Nino Niederreiter are far off their pace of one year ago.

What has to Happen? The Wild will need a strong playoff performance from Devan Dubnyk and a spike in scoring from their forward group. They are one of the teams who are likely to be active at the deadline, probably in search of scoring.

Nashville Predators

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Why are They a Candidate for the Stanley Cup? The Nashville Predators have a championship-caliber defensive group and a famous goalie in Pekka Rinne. Teams win playoff games with great defensive play and the Predators thrive in this area.

Why are They a Dark Horse? Rinne is not having a strong season, with only a .908 save percentage. Scoring is also an issue. Nashville has only one player—James Neal—over 10 goals on the year.

What has to Happen? Nashville probably needs to add a substantial offensive player at the deadline. It has been championship level on defense for some time, but the offense eludes it. A trade seems the only reasonable option.

New York Islanders

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Why are They a Candidate for the Stanley Cup? The New York Islanders have a balanced roster and top-end talent at forward. They are also led by John Tavares, one of the best young centers in the game.

Why are They a Dark Horse? The Islanders haven't been a power in the league for decades, and they have not performed well during the first portion of the season. Both things make them easy to overlook.

What has to Happen? New York has to play up to its potential. It is shy offensively this season but only needs to reach previous established levels in order to get back on track. If Tavares, Anders Lee and others can find the range more often, this could be a special spring in New York.

Pittsburgh Penguins

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Why are They a Candidate for the Stanley Cup? The Pittsburgh Penguins employ two of the best players in the game. As long as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are wearing a Penguins jersey, the team has a chance.

Why are They a Dark Horse? Pittsburgh is a bad team right now, so bad the club recently replaced the coach. It has been especially poor since Marc-Andre Fleury was injured.

What has to Happen? Fleury's return from concussion will help and the Penguins may add more defensive depth at the deadline. The odds of improvement from the early portion of the season are high, and it is possible Pittsburgh wins the 2016 Stanley Cup.