NHL
When Will It Be Canada’s Turn?
A Canadian team hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens did in 1993. Since then, American based NHL teams have won the Stanley Cup. The Vancouver Canucks (Twice), Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators have all reached the Stanley Cup Finals and lost. Twenty-five years have passed since the Stanley Cup came home to Canada. Which team will do it? Which team is closest to a Stanley Cup victory? When will it come home? I’m going to look at every Canadian team and see how close they are to a Stanley Cup Championship.
Calgary Flames
The Flames are an interesting team. They were said to be a team on the rise last season but ended up missing the playoffs. What was worse was that they traded their first and second round picks to the New York Islanders in the Travis Hamonic deal. In this off-season, the Flames acquired Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin from the Carolina Hurricanes. They also signed James Neal and Derek Ryan in free agency. The Flames, of course, have Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan leading the way for the offense. They also got Matthew Tkachuk to get in the skin of opponents. James Neal will also help them score some goals. The Flames have Travis Hamonic and the veteran Mark Giordano on defense. They also have youngsters, Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson. In goal, they have Mike Smith and John Gillies to back him up. Now the Flames do have Tyler Parsons in the AHL who could be their goalie of the future. The Flames have Jusso Vilimaki who is a big skating defenceman in their system. He could make an impact in the NHL. They have forward prospects such as David Jankowski and Dillon Dube who also could make impacts in the NHL. Overall, I think the Flames are a decent team on their way up. However, goaltending has been their kryptonite.
How close are they to a Cup?: A few years away. They just got to improve the goaltending and add depth to the defense and they could be a legit contender.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers were supposed to be the Canadian team that was supposed to contend for the cup last season. However, they didn’t even make the playoffs. The Oilers, of course, have superstar Connor McDavid leading the way. He is accompanied by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers have some good offensive prospects like Jesse Puljujarvi, Tyler Benson, and Kailer Yamamoto. These guys may need to develop more but they could be decent NHLers. The defense has been the problem for the Oilers for a long time. They have Darnell Nurse, Matt Benning, Kevin Gravel, Oscar Klebo, Kris Russell and Andrei Sekera which is not that great. The Oilers need an elite defenseman who could defend well but also help with the offense and special teams. Evan Bouchard who was taken 10th overall in June’s draft. He could be the defenceman that the Oilers wanted for so long. Some say he could even make the NHL next season. In goal, Cam Talbot is hoping to have a bounce-back season and replicate his 2016-17 performance.
How close are they to a cup?: I could see them winning one in the next five years.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal is the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup. It seems they won’t be winning one anytime soon. Sure, they still have Carey Price in goal but there are problems up front. The Subban for Weber trade looks worse now that Weber will miss more than half of next season with a knee injury. They also traded Mikhail Sergachev to Tampa Bay for Jonathan Drouin. Sergachev looks like he’s gonna be a very good NHL defenceman. Last June they also traded Alex Galchenyuk for Max Domi which is also very questionable. The Canadiens don’t have anyone intriguing on defense except for Victor Mete who has a lot of upsides. The forward group doesn’t really look good either. Brendan Gallagher led the way last season and it looks like captain Max Pacioretty will be traded. Drafting Jesperi Kotnaniemi and passing on Filip Zadina raised some eyebrows. If all goes well, he could be their future first line centreman.
How close are they to a cup?: Montreal looks to be in a rebuild right now so it is going to be a long time before they can win another Stanley Cup.
Ottawa Senators
Oh dear. There is no sugar-coating this one. The Ottawa Senators are a dumpster fire. It’s hard to believe that over a year ago, the Senators were one shot away from the Stanley Cup Final. Last season they were bad on the ice and there was bad stuff off the ice which I will not get into. It is safe to say that the Senators are going to be rebuilding. Though talks have died down there is a possibility that Captain Erik Karlsson will be traded. They have some good young guys like Logan Brown, Brady Tkachuk, and Thomas Chabot. However, the Senators have a long way to go before we can talk about cup contention. It looks like they will be tanking for Jack Hughes next season.
How close are they to a cup?: Not even close. Very far
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs were bad for so long. When Brendan Shanahan took over as President of Hockey Operations things started to change. Gone were the days of Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf. The Leafs drafted William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and Auston Matthews. They acquired goalie Frederik Anderson from the Ducks. The Leafs are now full of young talent with the likes of Morgan Reilly, Josh Leivo, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown, Zack Hyman, Travis Dermott and many more. John Tavares has also signed a seven-year deal in Toronto and things are looking even brighter. The Leafs still have one of the best prospect systems in the league. Timothy Lijeren looks like he can be a solid defenceman for the Leafs. The Toronto Marlies won the Calder Cup so things are looking good in Toronto. They could be the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup.
How close are they to a cup?: The Leafs are a legit contender now and will contend for many years. I see them winning a Stanley Cup soon.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks were the last Canadian team to reach the Stanley Cup Final. Now, the days of the Sedin twins, Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler and Roberto Luongo are gone. It is a new era now as the Sedin twins have now retired. The Canucks have a very good prospect pool which same say is the best in the NHL. Elias Pettersson is coming off a record-breaking season in the SHL and is looking to be a star in the NHL. His former Timra linemate Jonathan Dahlen looks to be a solid player as well. It is likely the Canucks next captain will be Bo Horvat who seems to get better every season. We can’t forget the sniping Brock Boeser who looks to continue his ways after a season-ending injury last year. Vancouver has a great forward group of prospects which include Hobey Baker winner Adam Gaudette, Nikolay Goldobin, Kole Lind, Petrus Palmu, Jonah Gadjovich and others. On defense, the recently resigned Troy Stetcher looks like a very reliable top four defenceman. This year’s seventh overall pick Quinn Hughes looks to be the power play and offensive defenceman the Canucks needed for so long. We can’t sleep on Olli Juolevi who also has a ton of upside and potential. In goal, Thatcher Demko has put up solid numbers with the Utica Comets and looks to be the Canucks goalie of the future.
How close are they to a cup?: Not too far away but not that close either. Could start contending soon but the focus now is to let the kids develop and grow.
Winnipeg Jets
Of all the Canadian teams, the Jets were the closest to the Stanley Cup last season. They are true contenders now with an excellent core of players. Patrik Laine, Mark Schifele, Nik Ehlers, Kyle Connor and others lead a young and talented forward group. On defense Josh Morrissey, Jacob Trouba and the hard-hitting Dustin Byufelein round out the defense. The Jets recently extended goalie Connor Hellebuyck a six-year 37 million dollar extension. He has proven that he is an elite goalie and shows no signs of slowing down.
How close are they to a cup?: True contenders. I could even see them winning the cup next year.
