The 7 Teams that Will Win the Stanley Cup in 2015

The NHL season is underway and in my estimation there are only a handful of teams that will win the Stanley Cup in 2015, realistically; seven to be exact. The Western Conference looks to yet again be the dominant power in hockey, with five of the seven teams on my list, as well as a number of other intriguing teams that didn’t make the cut.

The NHL enjoys  a level of parity that is largely unmatched in the other North American professional sports (for our look at the NFL teams with the best chance to win the Super Bowl, check out our feature The Only 9 Teams with a Chance to Win the Super Bowl), and just about any team could make the playoffs (OK, maybe not the Sabres, sorry Buffalo). But when it comes playoff time, it takes a top class team to win four grueling, seven-game series, and I believe there are only seven teams capable of doing so this year.

One of the most evident things about all of the chosen teams that will win the Stanley Cup in 2015 is that they’re extremely strong down the middle; each boasts at least two very good centermen, and most have 3. They’re also strong defensively across the board, save perhaps for the two Eastern Conference teams, which play a little looser and more open. While most are extremely solid in goal, one of the teams will be relying on young backstops as it looks to contend for a title, a move that is rather unprecedented and may be heavily scrutinized should it fail.

Are you curious which teams from each conference made the cut as teams that will win the Stanley Cup in 2015? Read on to find out the answers, with the teams listed in no particular order, and beginning on the next page with the only team from Canada to make the list.