After the recent NHL trade deadline, several teams emerged as top contenders for the Stanley Cup. These teams made significant moves to strengthen their rosters and solidify their positions as front-runners for the championship.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are well-known to take big swings at the plate when it comes to trades, and they did not disappoint at this year’s deadline, making two deals that took only one player – winger Michael Bunting – off the NHL roster, while adding two veterans in winger Jake Guentzel and center Evgeny Kuznetsov. That’s a win any way you slice it, and the moves make the Hurricanes the odds-on favorite to win it all. If there is a concern with Carolina, it’s with their goaltending; veteran netminder Frederik Andersen is back and ready to go, but until he provides a large sample size to judge his comeback from blood clotting issues, there will be some who wonder if current starter Pyotr Kochetkov can handle the pressure that comes with being a team with high playoff expectations. But if he just maintains his level of play, the Hurricanes are going to be scary for any potential playoff opponent.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Knights stepped up in a major way at the deadline, landing D-man Noah Hanifin and veteran wingers Tomas Hertl and Anthony Mantha without taking any player off Vegas’ current roster. This should be the shot in the arm Vegas needs to snap out of their current funk, and the Golden Knights now have one of the top defense corps and forward groups in the league. The Golden Knights will get another boost when some of their injured players return to good health, but as it stands at the moment, Vegas has the depth, experience, and motivation to be a highly dangerous unit.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche were already a dynamic group before the deadline, but GM Chris MacFarland gave a significant remake to his lineup, shipping out defenseman Bowen Byram and center Ryan Johansen in separate deals, and adding forward Casey Mittlestadt and blueliner Sean Walker in those deals. MacFarland also added depth forwards Brandon Duhaime and Yakov Trenin in deals that didn’t require high draft picks or elite prospects. All in all, the Avs are neck-and-neck with Vegas as the best team in the Western Conference, and they rival the Hurricanes for the label of best team in the league. Colorado is a much different team than the one that took the ice yesterday, but they’re as deep as any team, and they’ve got the depth and overall talent to challenge any opponent they face. MacFarland has given his core talent a notable boost, and there’s no excuse for them not to be an elite squad.
Florida Panthers
Despite being a Grade-A regular-season team, the Panthers made a major move before the deadline, acquiring veteran sniper Vladimir Tarasenko from Ottawa in exchange for two draft picks. They also got better and landed more leadership with the acquisition of veteran forward Kyle Okposo from Buffalo. The Panthers didn’t need much help for the roster, but Tarasenko and Okposo solidified their forward group, and Florida now is the top team in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers can beat an opponent whether they want to run-and-gun and play a high-octane offensive game, or whether they prefer to play a tight defensive game and win games by a 1-0 or 2-1 score. They’re a bona fide Cup contender, and no other Eastern team – at least, on paper – has the depth and all-around game that the Cats do. They’re an amazing organization, and they’ve got what it takes to go all the way.
Dallas Stars
The Stars made their big move with the acquisition of rugged defenseman Chris Tanev from Calgary, and what was already a deep and talented defense group is now arguably the best in the league (with a nod to Carolina’s ‘D’ corps). The Stars have looked every bit the Cup front-runner in the regular season, and with the addition of Tanev, they’re now one of the best teams in the game. Stars GM Jim Nill is one of the most crafty GMs in the sport, and once again, he’s put together a lineup that can rival any opponent Dallas faces. Their forwards are a terrific mix of youth and experience, and their back end is as solid as any team’s. No team should want to face the Stars in the first round of the playoffs, and Dallas has what it takes to win the second Cup in franchise history.
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