Next team to win their first cup

Toene

Y'en aura pas de facile
Nov 17, 2014
4,906
4,842
Vancouver, Vegas, Florida, Winnipeg, imo. Maybe Arizona depending on their rebuild.
 

ForsbergForever

Registered User
May 19, 2004
3,319
2,023
Team Founded SC Finals Appearances
Toronto Maple Leafs 1917-18, 1967

Otherwise...
I think Florida is on the cusp of something really special if they can manage the salary cap and the new additions click. The Sens could also be primed for success with so much young talent filtering into the lineup, but Cup contender status could still be several years away.
 

RoyalRed

Registered User
Apr 8, 2013
475
497
Winnipeg. They have the components.

The "easy" answer is Vegas but I feel like they'll always be on the cusp, but not enough to get 'er done. The question mark with Winnipeg is the D.
 

PettersonHughes

Registered User
Aug 26, 2020
1,537
652
Vancouver (if OEL plays to form), Florida (if Bob plays to form), Vegas (Lehner's got to deliver as the guy now that Fleury is gone) and Winnipeg (their defense should be better, now they just need to deliver).

Not one person picked the Preds.

I'm really not sure that they improved at all this off-season. Ellis is gone, Rinne retired and they're basically bringing back the same forward group. The defense should hold up because it's Nashville, but the same questions remain.
 

Osakahaus

Chillin' on Fuji
May 28, 2021
7,569
3,436
Florida and Vegas obvious short term answers, but I'm not sure they've got enough to do it when Vegas seem to be struggling to get it done with no 1C and not a lot of obvious routes to get one, and Florida seem to have the cap waiting to smack them around the head unless they can get rid of Bobrovsky in the next couple of seasons.
I think Florida can do it but they gotta pray they don't face tampa again. They can absolutely make the ECF's next season but they need Bob and Knight to be on their A game always
 

Osakahaus

Chillin' on Fuji
May 28, 2021
7,569
3,436
Not one person picked the Preds.
because they're in limbo now. no way to be a good cup contender yet solid enough to not go top 10 in the draft. They're just screwed from their infrastructure finally starting to crumble unfortunately. I assume they might as well be the one team that won't be back unless Saros goes beast mode again
 

Dread Clawz

LAWSonic Boom
Nov 25, 2006
27,301
8,649
Pennsylvania
Florida seem to be favorites here, but at the same time history shows that they've had a hard time following up a strong season with another and keep falling into a sucking cycle after a good season.

Sorry but that's a stupid argument. Barkov, Huberdeau and Ekblad are the only members of the organization left from 2016. The coaching staff is all different, the management is different. Unless you count Juho Lammikko who barely plays and wasn't even seeing playing time until 2018.
 

Cenzo_

Registered User
Dec 11, 2006
1,507
959
Montreal
Sorry but that's a stupid argument. Barkov, Huberdeau and Ekblad are the only members of the organization left from 2016. The coaching staff is all different, the management is different. Unless you count Juho Lammikko who barely plays and wasn't even seeing playing time until 2018.

Ok fine but that is still your #1C, #1W and #1D that have went through that cycle so basically the players that have the most impact on your team outside of the goalie. We'll have to wait and see what comes next but to me the Panthers were never able to put it together even though they've had plenty of decent teams on paper and good draft positions over the years
 

featherhawk

Registered User
Dec 13, 2006
14,227
4,960
was going to go with Florida until I remembered BOB...

honestly not sure, if I was a betting man I would say Vegas but if FLA somehow gets rid of BOB or finds a way for him to be consistent then FLA
 

Dread Clawz

LAWSonic Boom
Nov 25, 2006
27,301
8,649
Pennsylvania
Ok fine but that is still your #1C, #1W and #1D that have went through that cycle so basically the players that have the most impact on your team outside of the goalie. We'll have to wait and see what comes next but to me the Panthers were never able to put it together even though they've had plenty of decent teams on paper and good draft positions over the years

If you just want to make a blanket statement, yes. But if you really take a deep look at what happened after 2015-16, you'll see just how badly ownership and management screwed up. It was a decent young team on the upswing, who then abruptly fired their GM, without firing him, replaces him with Tom freaking Rowe, and a no-name Eric Joyce, fired Gerard Gallant halfway through the next season, then got rid of them by the end of that same season and brought Tallon back into the GM role. Oh, and this is after randomly firing dozens of staff members throughout the organization for no apparent reason. Father time caught up with Jagr, the blueline was neglected for years, and Luongo slowly declined. Bill Zito came in and somehow re-tooled the team in one season and turned it into a strong team that has only gotten stronger this summer. But it was not an easy task to do.. Barkov, Huby, and Ekblad all had great 2021 seasons. Without 2 of those 3, Florida is in Arizona/Buffalo territory. They are not the problem.
 
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