With the NHL’s trade deadline now in the rearview mirror, we’re going to pinpoint below the league’s teams that are shaping up as true Stanley Cup contenders. In alphabetical order:
1. Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche were an elite team before their deadline moves, but now, they’re about as deep at every position as any team in the league. Up front, the additions of Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle and the returning Valeri Nichushkin give Colorado scoring power to spare, and on defense, newcomers Ryan Lindgren and Erik Johnson give the Avs as deep a defense corps as we can see.
To be sure, the Central Division’s first round of the playoffs will be a dogfight, with the Avalanche likely to face either Dallas, Winnipeg or Minnesota – and if we were Avs brass, we’d be hoping for a showdown against the Wild. But regardless, Colorado management has done great work giving superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar a terrific supporting cast. And if the Avalanche win the Cup for the second time in the MacKinnon/Makar era, no one will be shocked.
2. Dallas Stars
The Stars made the biggest move of deadline day, acquiring Mikko Rantanen from Carolina. But they also made a huge move well in advance of the deadline by picking up Mikael Granlund from San Jose. And as a result, Dallas’ top six forwards group includes Rantanen, Granlund, Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment – and that doesn’t include injured star center Tyler Seguin. When you’ve got Wyatt Johnston and Jamie Benn on your de facto third line, you’ve got a major-league Cup contender on your hands.
Dallas’ defense is also going to get a big boost when superstar Miro Heiskanen returns from long-term injured reserve. And all things considered, the Stars have as good a shot as any Central team to either catch Winnipeg for top spot in the division, or to, at least, lock up home-ice advantage in Round One. Dallas was this writer’s pre-season pick to win the Cup, and nothing has changed in that regard. The Stars are built to be a winner for this season and in the long haul, and their trade deadline moves have only bolstered an already-dynamic lineup.
3. Florida Panthers
The Panthers have had injuries to deal with this season – most notably, the injury to star winger Matthew Tkachuk, that continues to keep him out of the lineup. But Florida GM Bill Zito didn’t let that stop him from making two of the biggest acquisitions in advance of the trade deadline, including landing defenseman Seth Jones from Chicago, and on deadline day, picking up winger Brad Marchand from Boston. When the injured Marchand is cleared for action, the Panthers’ top six will be centers Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett, and wingers Marchand, Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart. That should terrify Florida’s opponents.
Meanwhile, on ‘D’, the Panthers can boast of a top-four that includes Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Niko Mikkola and Jones. While Florida has solid depth beyond those four, they won’t have to lean heavily on their third pair. And as a group, Florida now has more than enough workhorses to deliver them far into the post-season. The chances of a Cup repeat for the Panthers got significantly better than before the deadline, and now, Florida needs to lock up top spot in their division to avoid a first-round showdown with either Toronto or Tampa Bay.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs were one of the league’s most well-balanced franchises before GM Brad Treliving went to work before the deadline and acquired veteran center Scott Laughton and experienced defenseman Brandon Carlo. Now, Toronto has excellent depth up front – to wit: there may not be a spot for either one of wingers Nick Robertson or Max Pacioretty when everyone is healthy – and on defense, their top-six of Morgan Rielly, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe, Carlo and Simon Benoit is as defensively-sound as any Leafs team in the modern era.
The Leafs will still need stars Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares to do the heavy lifting in the playoffs, but if the Buds can lock up top spot in the Atlantic and avoid a first-round battle with Florida and Tampa Bay, Toronto has an excellent shot of going far in the post-season. And even if they do get the Panthers or Lightning in the first round, the Buds have a fighter’s chance of eliminating them and going on a long post-season run.
5. Washington Capitals
We come by it honestly – prior to the season, we weren’t sold on the Capitals’ changes. But the proof is in the pudding, and while Washington didn’t do much before the deadline – adding only winger Anthony Beauvillier from Pittsburgh – the truth is they didn’t have to to be a Cup front-runner after the deadline.
We’re still going to be honest – the Caps’ overall depth may not be as solid as other teams that made this list. But if their big guns deliver as advertised, and their goaltending tandem comes through, Washington has what it takes to beat up on a relatively weak Metropolitan Division and get at least through the second round of the playoffs. And that will be much further than skeptics believed they could get to at the beginning of the year.
6. Winnipeg Jets
As the best team in the NHL thus far this season, the Jets were under no real pressure to make a splash at the trade deadline. But Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff amped up his team’s grit factor with the deadline acquisitions of left winger Brandon Tanev and defenseman Luke Schenn, who will do wonders for the Jets’ fourth line and third defense pair respectively.
Winnipeg is only going to go as far as superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck carries them, but in the post-deadline world, the Jets have more than enough talent throughout the roster to secure the top spot in the Central Division and Western Conference, and steer clear of a first-round clash against Colorado or Dallas. That should provide an abundance of confidence for Winnipeg fans who’ve suffered a great deal of playoff disappointment in recent seasons. And if the Jets do go on a deep playoff run, Tanev and Schenn could be low-key heroes for them.
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