June 9, 1993, in Montreal, Canada, was the last time a Canadian team was able to toss off all of their equipment, jump for joy, and celebrate in front of their hometown fans as they won the Stanley Cup. While many Canadian players have won it since 1993, no Canadian team has been able to secure those 16 wins to immortalize themselves on the trophy. The last team to ever come close to the Cup was in the 2021 Playoffs with the (ironically) Montreal Canadiens as they lost 4-1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
While many Canadian teams in the past few seasons have looked impressive and have come reasonably close to winning the Stanley Cup, this year might be the best in a while that one of them could end up winning it all, given how these teams are not only playing but are also built for the playoffs and how they bought at the trade deadline. Here are the Canadian teams that can go all the way this year, including why they are the ones to win it all, with some issues that might affect their run.
Vancouver Canucks
Case For
Leading the Pacific Division and in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy, the Vancouver Canucks have been clicking on all fronts and have seen production from all of their players to be where they are in the standings. Being in the top five in goals for and the least amount allowed while allowing the sixth-fewest shots per game, head coach Rick Tocchet has devised a scheme for this team that utilizes the best out of every player in his lineup every game. In many eyes, he is in contention for the Jack Adams Award for his work this season.
The forward group has been a significant factor in their season, with J.T. Miller leading the offense, Elias Pettersson following up his career season this season, Brock Boeser having a career season and looking to net 40 goals for the first time in his career and the newest addition of Elias Lindholm helping their centre depth tenfold.
The defensive group has been relatively quiet offensively. Filip Hronek is having a monster bounce-back season with a career-high 45 points after last season’s season-ending surgery. Tyler Myers has helped offensively with 24 points, but the squad’s star is Quinn Hughes. He is one of the best defensemen in the NHL this season, as he currently has the most points and assists by defensemen while also ranking ninth in goals.
Thatcher Demko is having a Vezina Trophy-worthy season. He has broken his career high in wins with 34 and could possibly count more if he is healthy enough to return in the regular season. He is also in the top five in goals-against average (GAA) and the top six in save percentage (SV%).
Case Against
The Demko situation is a major red flag for many fans, as he has been outstanding in the net and is always a significant factor in them winning games, whether it be by holding down the fort while having a lead or making sure he keeps them in games while trailing. His injury was listed as “week-to-week,” so it could be a sign of having him rest and get healthy until the playoffs come, but that can prove risky, as getting reps in before the season ends is essential to get his rhythm back. Casey DeSmith has been having a solid season with an 11-6-6 record and a .897 SV%. He has gone 3-2-1 so far with Demko injured, but you hope for him to be back come the playoffs.
The other is the need for more consistency with their special teams. While their underlining stats of scoring goals and keeping goals out is essential, their penalty kill and power play have been mediocre, with both hovering around the middle of the league. Their powerplay is 12th at 22.1 percent, and their penalty kill is 15th at 79.7 percent, while their shots per game are one of the lowest in the league at 26th with 28.2 shots per game.
Edmonton Oilers
Case For
After their brutal 5-12-1 start to the season that saw them near the bottom of the league, the Edmonton Oilers have made a tremendous flip to their season, many thanks to the historic 16-game winning streak to rocket them back into the top of the league and setting the pace for the rest of the season.
Their offence has seen a massive turn in the season. They are fourth in goals for at 3.57. Their power play is currently second in the league at 27.5 percent, and their shots per game are first at 33.8.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have led the way as the duo continues terrorizing the league with their scoring capabilities. Both players have seen their goal-scoring come down, with McDavid at 26 and Draisaitl at 37, but that hasn’t stopped them from putting up points. McDavid is on pace for a 100-assist season, something that hasn’t been done since Wayne Gretzky did it in the 1990-91 season.
Zach Hyman is helping the duo tremendously, as he is having a career year. Currently, he has 50 goals and 19 assists for 69 points. He might not top his career high of 89 points set last season, but he is on pace to finish with 60 goals, smashing his career goal record of 36. Add in Evan Bouchard, who has set himself up as the number one defenceman on this team and helped lead this dangerous power play. With 15 goals and 57 assists for 67 points, he is tied for third in points by a defenceman.
Case Against
As you probably have seen, not mentioned yet was the goaltending of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard (we shouldn’t talk about Jack Campbell), as it is a slight weakness in this Oilers team heading into the playoffs. Specifically, this is due to the need for more experience and performance in the playoffs.
Related: Oilers Insider Calls Jack Campbell Signing “Unmitigated Disaster”
Yes, both goalies, like the team, have had tremendous bounce-back performances from the start of the season. But in the playoffs, they have not been the greatest. Pickard has not seen any playoff action in his career, and Skinner, through his first experience last season, wasn’t the best. He started 12 games and had a 5-6-0 record, a .883 SV% and a 3.68 GAA, numbers you don’t want from your starting goalie.
One caveat to help this argument is that the Oilers allow the fifth lowest amount of shots so far this season at 28.4, so if they can help limit the shots Skinner sees, it could be a huge turning point.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Case For
Yes, the Maple Leafs, har har, (insert joke about 1967 and recent playoff success). But in all seriousness, if they can play to their full potential, they have a team that can put up a fight if the effort is there and their players show up.
As usual, the “Core Four” will be the team’s catalyst and must show up big in the playoffs as they have been doing in the regular season. Auston Matthews is on pace to score the most goals the NHL has seen in almost 30 years. William Nylander is having a monster season that could see him pass 100 points for the first time in his career. Depending on when Mitch Marner returns from his injury, he could finish with over 80 points for the third time in his career, and John Tavares, despite having a brutal down season, has been solid depth-wise for them.
Key additions, whether from free agency, the trade deadline, or the Toronto Marlies, have given them excellent depth scoring. Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi had a cold start to the season but have been picking it up lately with their increased roles. The trade acquisitions of Joel Edmundson, Connor Dewar, and Ilya Lyubushkin have done what general manager Brad Treliving brought them in for: to help play defense, kill penalties, and play physical. Marlies players like Bobby McMann and Pontus Holmberg have shined in key games where the top guys couldn’t get anything going and have helped secure a spot in the lineup with impressive play and a cheap cap hit.
Maple Leafs’ goaltending performances have been wild this season, with many goaltenders having hot and cold streaks, but they are playing well right now. Ilya Samsonov has bounced back tremendously since being sent down on waivers, currently 14-3-1 with a .910 SV% since Jan. 14, 2024. Martin Jones has been as reliable as he could be when Samsonov was not playing well and Joseph Woll was hurt. Speaking of Woll, now healthy, he’s slowly getting back into shape, and not many teams can say they have three quality starting goaltenders come playoffs.
Case Against
Special teams have not been good this season, and while, yes, the power play is currently fourth in the league at 25.6 percent since March 1, it has been third worst in the league at 10.8 percent. Players like Matthews, Marner (who has been injured), Nylander, Tavares, and more can’t be that low and need to start clicking soon on the man advantage. It is the same with the penalty kill, currently at 76.0 percent, the sixth lowest in the league. It doesn’t help that players like Marner and Calle Jarnkrok, who are notable penalty killers, aren’t healthy; it can’t be that low when you could play the Boston Bruins or Flordia Panthers in the first round.
The playoffs are more intense, physical, and demanding of excellent play, and the Leafs have shown time and time the past few years they can’t compete like that for 16 wins. The guys on the team need to want it more than the other team and have their top guys show up when it matters. If they can’t produce, they need to be able to forecheck and play defense to make sure they win that game or series, whatever it takes. If they can’t do that, then that needs to be addressed in the offseason (again?).
Winnipeg Jets
Case For
The Winnipeg Jets have been one of the most consistent and well-rounded teams this season. While they are on a three-game losing streak, this could be a wake-up call before the playoffs to get the guys refocused.
They have been getting production from across all forward lines this season, with top guys like Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Nikolaj Ehlers leading this deep forward group. Add in the elite trade deadline acquisitions of Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan, who have been excellent since their move, to bolster further a top nine that is missing Gabriel Vilardi, who is out indefinitely with an enlarged spleen.
Related: Jets’ Trade-Deadline Additions Making Early Positive Impacts
The defensive group is one of the best blue lines in the league when it comes to depth. While led by Josh Morrisey, who is currently eighth in points by a defenseman and is the group’s most “notable” name, they all are tasked with doing a job, and they do it well. Their entire defensive group leads the team in blocks; three are in the top five in hits, including being a part of a historic run with the team not allowing more than three goals in a game for 30 straight games.
Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit were significant players in the net during that historic run. These two are easily the best goalie tandem among all current Canadian teams, and Hellebuyck is backing that up by potentially winning his second Vezina Trophy. He has been unstoppable this season, leading the league in SV%, second in GAA (by 0.01%), and third in goalie wins. Add in a backup who has a .927 SV%, a 2.05 GAA, and who has won five of his last seven starts in Brossoit, and things are looking good in net come playoffs.
Case Against
The Jets’ special teams have also been poor this season. They are 22nd on the power play at 18.8 percent and 25th on the penalty kill at 76.5 percent. They have only 38 power-play goals, the tenth-lowest in the league. The Jets will need to figure this out when focusing on the power play and fixing the penalty kill when their first-round opponents could be the Colorado Avalanche or the Dallas Stars, who are in the top ten on the man advantage.
Could We See The North Recover the Cup?
We are currently seeing some generational talent on these Canadian teams, and each team knows they want to capitalize on these players’ prime years. Whether it’s the fiasco in 2011 with the Canucks or recently in 2021 with the Canadiens, we could see another Canadian team make the Final and hope for Canada’s sake they take it home. I believe out of these three teams, that the Vancouver Canucks, if Demko can get healthy and rolling again, can take it home this season, what do you all think?
