As of mid-December - who are your top 3 Stanley Cup favorites?

[x Tame Impala]

The Florida Panthers??

Don’t pretend that the Wild at all have as much talent on their roster as the panthers.

 

[um]

I’m surprised people aren’t voting for Vegas much. They were top 3 before the season and they’ve acquired Eichel since.

 

[Pyrophorus]

Florida's longest drought doesn't seem to play a factor.
Weird.

 

[LaMasquerade]

1. Tampa
2. Colorado (getting better lately)
3. Carolina (although they look quite average with few key guys missing..)
4. Florida (assuming they get a good coach)

(I'd like to also add Toronto, but we all know how their last few playoffs have gone..)

 

[Caps8112]

Depth and defense win Cups. Wild are top 5, arguably top 3 in both. Sure they are lacking multiple superstar players up front but they have 2 elite two way defenseman and Kaprizov has the ability to carry an offense. The team as a whole also plays playoff style hockey. The wild card in this scenario is goaltending. As long as Talbot makes the saves when he needs to Minnesota is in the conversation

Who?

 

[Caps8112]

If Tampa goes down, seems more wide open then ever before. Tampa stays healthy and gets the injured back they will take everyone to the woodshed again.

 

[HBK27]

Colorado, Carolina & Vegas

Good poll - tough choices

 

[5minutemajor]

The city of Wild might have a shot toi, in my top 5.

 

[M2Beezy]

Any of Florida, Washington, Vancouver, Tampa, Carolina are good options here

 

[leafsfan5]

If Tampa goes down, seems more wide open then ever before. Tampa stays healthy and gets the injured back they will take everyone to the woodshed again.

Vasi is the biggest trump card they have imo. You can play your best which will likely resulting in playing even with the Lightning. But they have the best goalie in hockey and you don't. That's so tough to beat

 

[McDavid is too whiny]

Vancouver

 

[Caps8112]

Vasi is the biggest trump card they have imo. You can play your best which will likely resulting in playing even with the Lightning. But they have the best goalie in hockey and you don't. That's so tough to beat

Vasi is the best but doesn't scare me the way prime lundqvist did. The caps having beaten him before may be some if that confidence

 

[Morbo]

Washington, Carolina, Tampa

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

People underrating the Wild as usual. They will say they are unproven in the playoffs but then go ahead and put Florida second, a team who hasn’t won a playoff round since 1996

The Wild's center depth and lack of elite center immediately writes them off for me as a Cup favorite.

 

[Captain97]

Tampa, Florida, Washington (Ovi looks like he wants it)

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Florida, Carolina, Colorado

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I’m surprised people aren’t voting for Vegas much. They were top 3 before the season and they’ve acquired Eichel since.

Pete Deboer

 

[TheRarestDangles]

Tampa, Colorado, and Buffalo

 

[The Podium]

I went all in on the Atlantic

1. Florida
2. Tampa
3. Toronto

Whoever comes out of that division will win it all

 

[Stealth JD]

Tampa
Vegas
Colorado
Washington

 

[Favin]

Florida, Colorado, Tampa and Carolina
But with only 3 votes, I omitted Tampa since they got last two.

 

[BlueMed]

Depth and defense win Cups. Wild are top 5, arguably top 3 in both. Sure they are lacking multiple superstar players up front but they have 2 elite two way defenseman and Kaprizov has the ability to carry an offense. The team as a whole also plays playoff style hockey. The wild card in this scenario is goaltending. As long as Talbot makes the saves when he needs to Minnesota is in the conversation

Who are their 2 elite two-way defensemen? And you can't say the team as a whole plays playoff style hockey when they haven't gotten past the first round in...how long?

 

[Arto Kilponen]

1. Tampa Bay
2. Vegas
3. Washington

Anyone naming Colorado should notice that this is about Stanley Cup, not Presidents' Trophy. I have no problem believing Avalanche win the regular season again, but I don't have a slightest trust in them getting to the 3rd round of playoffs. Without Patrick Roy in goal, it hasn't happened in 35 years. No matter how many Joe Sakics or Cale Makars they've had.

 

[Arto Kilponen]

Florida's longest drought doesn't seem to play a factor.
Weird.

The difference between Florida against Colorado or Toronto is that the later two have choked in the playoffs for the last eternity (Colorado exactly one round later than Toronto) while the former hasn't just been all that good at all.

I find it interesting how dead set people are that you flatout have to be great in regular season or you have no chance. If I checked this correctly, during the salary cap era it has been just as common that #18 of regular season goes all the way to Finals as it is that the Finals are played between teams, that both finished in top-5 of the regular season.

I'd be actually willing to bet that at least one of the 2022 Stanley Cup finalists will not finish in the top-5 of the regular season 2021-22.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

4. Florida (assuming they get a good coach)

This really is the key for them.