The Stanley Cup drought for the birthplace of hockey is now legal to drink in the United States. Which team is capable of bringing the Stanley Cup home? And when?
Jun 24, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Los Angeles Kings former player Luc Robitaille, left, poses with current Kings players Dustin Brown, center, and Anze Kopitar, and the Kings mascot “Bailey,” while holding the Stanley Cup on the red carpet of the 2014 NHL Awards ceremony at Wynn Las Vegas. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
The last Stanley Cup won by a franchise residing in Canada was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Since that point it has been all America all the time when planning championship celebrations. Many a team has come close since but the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks have all fallen short in the Stanley Cup Finals in one fashion or another.
Twenty-one years isn’t a long period in the grand scheme of things. But when you factor in the rich history of hockey in the country where it was born it is stunning that Canadians whom have turned 21 recently have never saw a team from their home country win the Stanley Cup.
But this will not be a sad look into the past. I prefer to look forward and consider the current state of the leagues Canadian teams as we approach the All-Star Game. Which teams are in position to make a deep playoff run towards the Stanley Cup this year? Which franchises are taking shape for the future? And which teams need to be completely blown up from the front office down?
Let’s begin our journey through the true north, strong and free:
Next: Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Jan 19, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Vancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller (30) makes a save against the Florida Panthers in the second period at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
It’s tough have a talented team in the Western Conference because with the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks dominating as they have in recent seasons it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Vancouver has made a number of changes to shake up the roster, moving on from Roberto Luongo and Corey Schneider and handing the crease over to Ryan Miller. Jason Garrison was shipped off to Tampa Bay and the biggest shockwave was Ryan Kesler to Anaheim for Nick Bonino and Luca Sbisa. Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin are still a potent 1-2 offensive punch leading the team in scoring. But the Canucks can stand to be a bit more aggressive in separating from the playoff bubble. If the Canucks are going to compete for the Stanley Cup with the best in the West, they would do well to acquire a forward that can contribute 5-on-5. The Canucks have a top ten power play and penalty kill unit but are only 20th in differential at even strength. With the Arizona Coyotes committing to a rebuild now, would Mikkel Boedker be cost prohibitive? As constituted now, the Canucks are good but may not be deep enough to end the Stanley Cup drought this year. But they have enough pieces to stay in the conversation.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Jan 19, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner (51) comes off the ice after a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at the Air Canada Centre. Carolina defeated Toronto 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
The definition of NHL purgatory may be the Toronto Maple Leafs. Fast starts, disappointing finishes, missed playoffs, a new coach, jerseys thrown on the ice – that’s just the last two seasons. Rarely near the bottom of the league to draft top talent but not in the thick of the playoff race to be considered buyers at the deadline, the Maple Leafs are desperately in need of a new direction. Replacing Randy Carlyle with Peter Horachek has helped the defensive game but the Leafs just can’t find the back of the net. They have contracts available to move at the deadline should the team commit to a complete rebuild down to the foundation. Phil Kessel likely won’t be moved but it’s hard to believe there is anyone untouchable on the roster. This is the season to find out. Move out as much as you can, acquire picks and young players and commit to a long-term solution to get back into Stanley Cup contention. Maybe my colleague Patrick Helper is right in suggesting James Van Riemsdyk is a place to start.
Next: Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers
Calgary Flames
Jan 17, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; Calgary Flames left wing Jiri Hudler (24) celebrates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Well look at what we have here. The Flames were thought by many to be in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes but as of Monday night they are holding on to the eighth and final playoff spot. Ahead of the defending Stanely Cup champions. What’s more impressive is who is leading it. Half of the team’s top six scorers are coming from the blue line. Mark Giordano, TJ Brodie and Dennis Wideman are producing at excellent levels while Jiri Hudler and Johnny Gaudreau, aka “Johnny Hockey“, are leading up front.
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Calgary can be a fun team to watch but is likely not a threat to the Stanley Cup this year. That’s not to say they should be ignored. Quite the opposite in fact. Better goaltending will critical but perhaps more so will be some more scoring punch out of the forwards. It’s going to be tough to count on as many points from the blue line as the Flames are producing now. Regardless of how this season ends, there is much to look forward to in Calgary. Bob Hartley should get some serious Coach of the Year consideration. He should also get to use some of that immense cap space for some more scoring help.
Edmonton Oilers
Jan 17, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Edmonton Oilers right wing Nail Yakupov (10) celebrates with teammates after his game winning goal against the Florida Panthers. The Oilers win 3-2 in a shootout at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
The Oilers will be in the running to win another exciting race to the bottom of the league and earn (???) the top pick in the draft. Edmonton is loaded up front with Taylor Hall, Nail Yakupov and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins but the talent has just not come together the way Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish had hoped. And it’s likely the front office won’t see it this way but they are the reason for that. Drafting Darnell Nurse is better but the Oilers have needed defense for a lot longer than they have admitted. The spinning wheel of goaltenders has landed on Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth, both of whom are surviving behind that defense but not much else. So once again the Oilers will be sellers at the trade deadline and have given their fans no hope that the Stanley Cup will return to Edmonton anytime soon. So who gets moved? Hall? Jordan Eberle? Does it matter if MacTavish and Lowe are making those trades? Time to overhaul management. Now.
Next: Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators
Montreal Canadiens
Jan 17, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center David Desharnais (51) celebrates his goal against New York Islanders with teammates right wing Brendan Gallagher (11) and center Alex Galchenyuk (27) during the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Perhaps the most legitimate threat to the Stanley Cup this year to come out of Canada will be the Habs. Montreal sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, only four points out of the top spot. This is a team with a balanced attack with seven players over the 20 point mark so far and four more likely getting there. Carey Price finds his name in the Vezina Trophy conversation more often than not and P.K. Subban and Andrey Markov continue to lead the way from the back-end. After acquiring Thomas Vanek last season and not getting much out of him during the playoffs, I expect Montreal to take a different approach to their Stanley Cup dreams and target some depth on defense. Keeping Price healthy will be critical as well. But there isn’t a lot the Canadiens need to do to this roster. They are ready to compete for the Stanley Cup now.
Ottawa Senators
Jan 17, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson (41) stretches prior to the start of game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Canadian Tire Centre. This was Anderson
The Ottawa Senators are another team that needs to consider how close they are to competing as the trade deadline approaches. This team is about as average as average gets going 18-18-8 to land ten points behind the last Eastern Conference playoff spot. Bobby Ryan, Erik Karlsson and Kyle Turris are still producing and Craig Anderson and his .927 save percentage is not getting enough credit for the season he is putting together behind a team in the bottom five in shots allowed. Acquiring a defenseman would give immediate support, but is it enough to close that ten point gap? I don’t think so. So does Ottawa stay the course and try to draft and develop their own players? Bryan Murray certainly has the track record to put faith in that approach. Or do you trade away pieces for future potential? Being in the East compounds things with the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs backsliding. It makes the playoffs feel more attainable than they are. Looking to the future I’d start laying plans for that defensive help as the best chance to contend again. And I wouldn’t trade away my best players to do it having the second most space under the cap, only to Calgary.
Next: Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets
Jan 18, 2015; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets forward Bryan Little (18) celebrates his goal with teammates during the overtime shootout period to defeat the Arizona Coyotes at MTS Centre. Winnipeg wins 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
Next to Montreal, Winnipeg is the next best short-term threat to the Stanley Cup. Which is impressive when you consider the time Evander Kane has missed and his overall sub par production with 9 goals in his 32 games. Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien and Blake Wheeler are constants but there are seven players with over 25 points so far. This team can score more than they get credit for, but the goaltending is vastly improved from last season. Yes, Ondrej Pavelec is still there and is playing better. Consider how he played in stretches last year that’s not that hard to do. But the future may be now in Michael Hutchinson. It’s not a huge sample size but in 23 games his career numbers are 15-7-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .933 save percentage, both of which are excellent. Much like Montreal, some blue line depth to guard against injury would help. I laid out a scenario at the beginning of the year about Tyler Myers and Evander Kane. Considering how well the Jets have done with so little from Kane and their position among the power house teams out West, I’m not going to back off my opinion that Myers and Kane could be dealt for one another.
All in all Canada appears poised well for this season with the Jets and Canadiens. And with the Canucks still lurking and the Flames on the rise, the odds are increasing that the Stanley Cup will once again travel north in the near future. Those chances could increase after the trade deadline comes and goes. Right now it’s still difficult to predict exactly which teams will do what with so few teams clearly selling assets.
I still believe the Stanley Cup champion is going to come out of the East this year. Will that be Montreal? Check back with me once the playoff seeds are determined and find out.
