2024-25 NHL Season Predictions: Which Team Will Win the Stanley Cup?

2024-25 NHL Season Predictions: Which Team Will Win the Stanley Cup? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The 2024-2025 NHL season technically started last week when the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabers played two games in Prague.

But for the other 30 teams, the regular season starts this week, and one of the most anticipated games is the Florida Panthers hosting the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night at Amerant Bank Arena. The Panthers will raise their first-ever Stanley Cup championship banner, and one of the teams they eliminated en route to last season’s title was the Bruins.

The Original Six club has lost to the Panthers in each of the last two playoffs, but they have made improvements to the roster in the offseason, most notably the addition of top-six center Elias Lindholm and top-four defenseman Nikita Zadorov. The B’s also were able to reach a deal with restricted free agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who signed an eight-year, $66 million contract on Sunday.

Last season’s number two, the Edmonton Oilers, is the favorite in the Western Conference. The Oilers roster is loaded, headlined by two superstars: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Other perennial contenders include the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers and Dallas Stars. The Hurricanes have been knocking on the cup final door for years but have failed to break through, mainly due to a lack of goals in the later rounds. Rangers and Stars have both lost a cup final in the past decade but, like the Hurricanes, have failed to secure that final victory.

There are also usually a few teams that surprise every season. Is this the year the young New Jersey Devils pulled it together and became a legitimate contender? Will Steven Stamkos help the Predators make a deep playoff run? Can the Kings and Jets reach the second round? LA has not advanced beyond Round 1 since its last title in 2014, while the Jets last played in Round 2 in 2021.

Check out our division, conference and Stanley Cup predictions for the 2024-2025 NHL season below.

Division predictions

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VaselineOctober 7, 2024

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