Which Canadian Franchise Will Be The NEXT to Hoist the Stanley Cup?

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

Ok, I did this same thread and poll on another site I was a member on a few years ago, and the answers always seem to be interesting.

Pretty simple.

 

We haven't had a Canada based franchise win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens did it in 1993.

That is 22 flippin years! Twenty two....for a sport that was born in the Great White North!

 

And since that time, there have been 6 US Stanley Cup Champions ( Los Angeles, twice, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Anaheim, Dallas) based south of the US's Mason Dixon line (warm weather cities for those not sure what a Dixon Line is   ), and the closest Canadian based teams have come in that same 22 year span are the four franchises who have made the Finals only 5 times during the whole thing. (Vancouver 2x, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa).

 

Some crazy stuff.

So...with all that in mind, which of the above teams do you think will finally be able to accomplish first what no one since the 93 Canadiens had been able to do: Bring Lord Stanley's Cup home to Canada? And why you think so?

 

Now, I know what some people might be thinking, a team like Montreal because they are doing so well now, and a team like Edmonton, dead last, has zero shot.

But think about it: when I did a poll like this about three or four seasons ago, the Canucks were flying high, the Flames were a mess, etc, etc, and way too many people voted Vancouver, while discounting everyone else. And no Canadian franchise has won it still...and Vancouver doesn't look like the easy clear cut pick either, do they?

 

The object isn't who will be good for the now, or even who will come close (as some Canadian teams already have)...but who will actually RAISE THE DAMNED CUP FOR CANADA!

 

Back when I did that first poll, I picked the Edmonton Oilers...and yes, I got laughed at.....hard, by everyone from the moderators to the people still waiting to get their accounts activated.

Well, guess what?

 

I am still going Oilers.

Why?

Because the team has been stockpiling way too much offensive talent for years, they have made every possible mistake you can possibly make with the draft, with development, with decisions regarding vets and free agents, etc, etc........sheesh...odds are, they are gonna run out of mistakes to make and even if just by ACCIDENT, they will finally stumble upon the right combination to go along with their constant front loaded talent, and put it all together for a season or two, enough so that they bring the Cup home to Canada first.

 

I had the same reasoning back then (although, miraculously, the Oilers DID find ways to make further mistakes..haha), and will use the same now.

Some nights those damned Oilers look like world beaters....then for whatever reason, they let up during a game, or during a win streak, or make some critical error at a critical juncture in a game, lose the game, then somehow let it affect them for a string of games, leading to yet another losing streak.

 

Somebody, somewhere, has got to harness the talent of the Oilers, whether that is a GM, a coach, a real hard nosed veteran player or two...somebody....and if that happens, I think the Oilers have the capability to go from worst to first.

Hey, other Canadian teams may be going about things the more logical (and gradual) way...such as the Flames...but with just the right amount of solid foundation hockey, the sky could be the limit for the Oilers well before the likes of the Sens, Jets, Flames, Habs, Leafs, Canucks, or the long rumored QC team can get a chance at the hardware.

 

Ok...I've rambled long enough.

Make your pick, tell us why, and at some point in time (hopefully we wont' have to wait yet ANOTHER 22 years to find out), we will see who is right!

 

Go for it HF.net crowd...vote!

[JagerMeister]

Toronto Maple Leafs will win a cup with Kessel and Phaneuf leading them to victory.

[intheslot]

Da Habs..

   hoser.. !!!

[yave1964]

The Florida Panthers/Quebec Nordiques. Lots of good solid pieces in place, in need of a place to play where someone notices.

[ruxpin]

None. Canada will never again see the Cup.

Someday, the day before the world ends, the Maple Leafs will win the Cup, ushering in the 1000 year reign of the anti-Christ.

You heard it here first. I'll let it to you to decide which part to place your bets on.

[WordsOfWisdom]

We haven't had a Canada based franchise win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens did it in 1993.

That is 22 flippin years! Twenty two....for a sport that was born in the Great White North!

 

So...with all that in mind, which of the above teams do you think will finally be able to accomplish first what no one since the 93 Canadiens had been able to do: Bring Lord Stanley's Cup home to Canada? And why you think so?

 

 

Can I answer "NONE OF THE ABOVE"? 

 

Not to be a dark cloud on an otherwise sunny day, but the Canadian based teams are the worst managed franchises in the NHL today in terms of on-ice success, and I don't see it changing. I see another 22 years with no Canadian team winning the Cup because they all suck. The Leafs, Senators, and Oilers are the bottom feeders of the NHL. The Flames, Jets, and Canucks are the middling teams that never accomplish anything. That leaves only the Canadiens and while they can make the playoffs easily enough, they can't perform under pressure, and they don't have a big enough or strong enough team to win from April onward, and they stubbornly refuse to change. So there you have it. Those are Canada's teams and they're not getting any better.

 

[ihabs1993]

I would lean towards Montreal being the next Canadian team to take the cup just because of the incredible progress they've made with a team that is still growing. Price is headed into the prime of his career, while the likes of Subban and Pacioretty joining him in that list. Then you have Galchenyuk as a future star in this league and guys like Gallagher that do the dirty work despite their size. To top it off, Markov, Plekanec and Prust are valuable veterans. Look at their last 3 seasons. They finished dead last in the East in 2011-2012, won the division under the old format in the lockout shortened season, then made it to the Eastern Conference Final last season. This team is primed for success in the next 5+ years. Honestly, Montreal will have a cup in 3-4 years in my opinion. This might be the homerism talking, but I don't think I'm too far off here. The one problem I see is that Price is handling way to much of a work load right now; not in games played, but in the amount of shots he faces in a game. More consistency on the blueline, more consistent scoring and Montreal could have a cup.

 

Of course, if I'm wrong, delete this message and forget I even existed.

[AJgoal]

Calgary. And they're going to do it this year.

[radoran]

Winnipeg - just because I like saying "Winnipeg"

[flyercanuck]

@radoran

 

We pronounce it "Winterpeg". (sorry Pods)

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Calgary. And they're going to do it this year.

 

I can see Calgary doing it....they seem to be building the right way and also have much talent that is far from completely developed.

Errrrr, but can't see them doing it this year.

Too green, and well, the goaltending...not terrible, but not SC caliber IMO.....unless Hiller plays out of his mind.

[WordsOfWisdom]

Spoiler alert: How the Canadian teams will fare at the end of this season (and playoffs) 

 

WEST

Calgary Flames: Flameout. Another playoff miss.

Edmonton Oilers: Finish 30th overall.

Vancouver Canucks: Window closes on current group. Team misses the playoffs.

Winnipeg Jets: The upstart Jets make a surprising entrance into the playoffs before losing in round one.

 

EAST

Montreal Canadiens: They enter the playoffs in the middle group and get eliminated in round one.  

Ottawa Senators: The Sens fade away and miss the playoffs.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Another late season run to 9th place takes the team out of the draft lottery.

 

Long term outlook:

 

Calgary: --

Edmonton: ^

Montreal: --

Ottawa: --

Toronto:  v

Vancouver:  v

Winnipeg: --

[JagerMeister]

As of right now, the Canadian team that has the biggest chance of winning is Edmonton.... The GM and all the other people behind that organization needs to GTFO.

[WordsOfWisdom]

As of right now, the Canadian team that has the biggest chance of winning is Edmonton.... The GM and all the other people behind that organization needs to GTFO.

 

If the Oilers can land yet another #1 draft pick who knows? It's that old adage of throwing stuff at the wall until something sticks.

 

The difficulty for the Oilers is that they have a long climb. They could be twice as good as they are now and still miss the playoffs. They're not just missing a "Crosby" type franchise player, they're missing Crosby, Malkin, Doughty, Price, etc. They have holes everywhere. McDavid would have to be Gretzky + Orr to lift the Oilers into the playoffs with their existing cast.   

[hf101]

@TropicalFruitGirl26

 

Great Topic TFG!

 

I look at it as Montreal is the most ready right now, but I don't think they are good enough to win it all this year.  Can they build more in the next two year while Price is still in his prime?  I think they have a window, but it isn't open for long.

Vancouver probably has a shot at a cup title this year, but I don't think they are strong enough up the middle to come away with a Western Conf Championship this season.

 

Calgary and Winnipeg have been building from within and probably have a reasonable window to capitalize in a few years.

 

The rest have management issues and who knows?

 

I'll give my vote to Calgary as they have the right pieces to build upon.  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

If the Oilers can land yet another #1 draft pick who knows? It's that old adage of throwing stuff at the wall until something sticks.

 

The difficulty for the Oilers is that they have a long climb. They could be twice as good as they are now and still miss the playoffs. They're not just missing a "Crosby" type franchise player, they're missing Crosby, Malkin, Doughty, Price, etc. They have holes everywhere. McDavid would have to be Gretzky + Orr to lift the Oilers into the playoffs with their existing cast. 

 

See I think this sells the team a bit short and not give enough credit to the talent they DO have at the moment.

Do the Oilers have quite a climb? Absolutely....but who is to say it necessarily has to be a long one?  Steep, yes, long, not necessarily...there is a difference.

 

Saying the team is 'not just missing a Crosby' but also a 'Malkin, Doughty, Price' is buying INTO the exact mess the team seems to have gotten themselves into.

Edmonton has seemingly spent all their high first round picks the last several years trying to stockpile the next Crosbys, Malkins, etc.

 

Those types of players come few and far between....sure, it would be nice if they could get them at regular intervals (ANY team would love that!), but that is not the reality.

The reality is, the Oilers HAVE drafted some very good talent, but I think the issues is in how they have developed that talent, complimented it with the right supplemental players, put in a team philosophy that creates a winning atmostphere FOR the talent, and then, replicating that in the minor leagues so that guys that do spend time down there have an easy transition to the big club.

 

There have been many Stanley Cup winners who have won without having a roster full of Crosbys, Malkins, Doughtys, or Prices....

What is more important is having talent that IS good enough (which the Oilers have), but also recognize how best to utilize that talent, then continue to draft, sign, and develop "lesser" players (for lack of a better term) to fit everything from rounding out the team's abilities, to fitting under the cap, to everyone understanding what jobs and roles they have.

 

I picked Edmonton because I think that somebody will finally 'get' that type of scenario (or something similar), then all of a sudden, the talent really CAN take off on this team .....or like @JagerMeister said, have the current management group GTFO, and get someone in who can see what they apparently arent...

 

I actually like the fashion in which teams like the Jets and Flames are going about it...that slow, steady, goaltending and/or defense first approach...Flames with more speed, Jets with more physical grinding....and while that approach is quite solid, it can take time.

The Oilers may choose to go that route (in which case they might have to undo almost the entire make up of the team), or perhaps they can come up with a way to simply change their current business model to one that better suits what they already have.

 

In that case, the Oilers may just make that steep climb (no question its steep)....but do it much faster than many people think.

[ruxpin]

@tfg

Nice post.

General question to all: What has a roster with Price (not David) won?

Edmonton should be better than they are. That had to be an organizational cancer. TFG is dead on in her post, but I don't think those in charge have the constitution to effectively change it. Until the top is changed, they're just going to keep wasting all these kids.

[AJgoal]

General question to all: What has a roster with Price (not David) won?

 

 

Besides a Calder Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal?

[ruxpin]

Besides a Calder Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal?

 

Yes, besides that.  (I was referring to NHL, but that's a fair point)

[AJgoal]

What has a team with Lundqvist won? Or Rask? Or Rinne? Roy hadn't yet won a cup at Price's age. Neither had Hasek.

[flyercanuck]

I've never understood the lack of respect Price gets. He's a top 5 goalie in the league and you won't find one who's less affected by a bad goal (the guy has ice in his veins). Take a look at the Habs roster...you have a few good players  like Subban and Pacioretti but nothing I would call elite. Theres a whole lot of vanilla there...yet there they are right up there in the standings with the best of them and games in hand over every team above them but one.  

[radoran]

I've never understood the lack of respect Price gets. He's a top 5 goalie in the league and you won't find one who's less affected by a bad goal (the guy has ice in his veins). Take a look at the Habs roster...you have a few good players  like Subban and Pacioretti but nothing I would call elite. Theres a whole lot of vanilla there...yet there they are right up there in the standings with the best of them and games in hand over every team above them but one.  

 

Hey, he's the guy that got the Islanders their goalie, finally.

 

The knock on him has always been his playoffs.

 

179-137-44 2.52/.917 in the regular season, 17-21-3 2.73, .909 in the postseason. Before last season's run he was 9-17-3.

 

I think he is a good player and he had a nice run last season, but he really still does have something to prove at the NHL level.

[flyercanuck]

@radoran

 

When I look at that Habs roster I just don't see a long playoff run in it. .909 isn't helping matters though thats for sure.

[radoran]

@radoran

 

When I look at that Habs roster I just don't see a long playoff run in it. .909 isn't helping matters though thats for sure.

 

Yeah, but even last year they swept Tampa without Bishop and renewed their lease on the interior of the Bruins' heads and the Rags put up 20 goals over 7 games to beat them.

 

I don't recall Price really "stealing" a playoff round - ever.

 

If the Habs are going to do anything - and Price is going to make a NHL name for himself - he's going to have to do that fairly consistently given the roster.

[jammer2]

   I always get asked this question at work. Before I answer I make it clear, being a Canadian Flyer fan, I could not give a rat's ass if the Cup never comes back to Canada.

 

 The answer for me is the Jets.  Winnipeg will develop into a power house and eventually win the cup in the 2019 season....you heard it here first!!  By the time 2019 rolls around, they will have the best group of forwards in the NHL....a deep and talented defense and Hutchinson, who will have his named engraved on Lord Stanely....he is that good.