Story by Kyle Dyer
Intensity, excitement, cutthroat- three words that accurately describe the NHL. Another season of hockey is upon us.
In the Western Conference, the biggest team to be the contender for the Stanley Cup would be the reigning champion St. Louis Blues. They finally got their first cup in franchise history by beating the Boston Bruins in game seven last year.
Most of their core is back, including the winner of the Conn Smyth Trophy, Ryan O’ Reilly. He was their leading goal scorer during the playoffs.
Jordan Binnington was the main piece of last year. If he can keep that form like he did in the postseason, the Blues could go back and defend their title.
Another contender is the Vegas Golden Knights. Last year they lost to the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the playoffs. They still have some good players, like forwards Max Pacioretty, Jonathon Marchessault and William Karlsson.
With the majority of the core still in Vegas, they could look to be cup contenders again.
The final team from the west that could be a contender is the Colorado Avalanche. They made a good run last year during the postseason, but lost in the semis to the San Jose Sharks.
What will help them is their youth, with players like Nathan Mckinnon and Mikko Rantenen leading the forward first line.
The goaltending is different now that Semyon Varlamov is with the New York Islanders. They will have to rely on Pavel Francuoz, who was good as a back up goaltender.
From the Western Conference now to the Eastern Conference, the first team that should be mentioned as contender for Lord Stanley is the New York Rangers.
They made the biggest move during free agency by signing the “bread man” Artemi Panarin, who was a free agent after last season for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
His contract is seven years long with 11.5 million dollars per year and a no-movement clause.
Another thing that would help them is youth, in particular Kappo Kako. He’s only 18 but has talent, so like Colorado what New York needs to rely on is youth. Even though last year they finished 12th in the East, the time for them to strike is now.
The second team from the East is the Carolina Hurricanes. Last year they got to the conference finals but lost to the Boston Bruins.
What is going to help them is goaltending. Last year, Peter Mrazek seemed to be a good fit and they picked up James Reimer from the Florida Panthers who could be good as back up.
The final team from the east is the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last year was a disaster for them because they were the first Presidents’ Trophy winner to be swept in the first round, losing to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Lightning still have some of their key players, but they’re in a tight cap situation and might get rid of some of these athletes next season.
This means it’s their last chance to win the cup.