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As a new National Hockey League (NHL) season approaches, the questions of what will happen and who will take home the Stanley Cup in the spring still loom large. Any one of the 32 NHL teams could hoist the cup come season’s end. With all that taken into account, here’s my best guess for the 2024/2025 NHL Stanley Cup Champions.

Only half of all teams will make the Playoffs in a matter of months, and out of those 16, only two will play for the most prestigious trophy in sports. 

Out of all the teams in the Western Conference, two main contenders stand out. These teams have the skill, depth, and luck needed to win the Cup. In my mind, these two teams are the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche.

The Dallas Stars are on the back end of a retool and the era of Jamie Benn and Ben Bishop has all but passed. However, the era of Jake Ottenger and Miro Heiskanen is just starting. Dallas also does have a flurry of young stars such as Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston that can and will make a big difference come spring. 

The latter of the Western Conference contenders is the 2022 Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche have contended for the past few years thanks to their solid core of star players and their depth. Nathan MacKinnon, Samuel Girard, and Mikko Rantanen are only some of these All-Star Caliber players on their squad. The only thing that can hold this team back is their goaltending. In their first game this season, Colorado gave up 8 goals to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Alexandar Georgiev may not be a reliable Goalie come playoff time.

Transitioning to The Eastern Conference is tough. The East has no shortage of superstar players and teams who can consistently contend for the Stanley Cup. Two of these teams I predict have the best chance of making the Finals are the Reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers and the star-studded Carolina Hurricanes. 

I’ll start with the team with the biggest target on their backs, the Florida Panthers. The reigning champs are filled to the brim with stars such as forwards Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Experience is crucial come May and this team has an abundance of playoff experience.

And secondly, the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes’ playoff window is closing fast and this may be the last year they can be a serious contender. Core players such as Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas and their goalie duo of Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. The only thing that may hold this team back is if their superstar players don’t click at the right time.

I’ve talked about the top four Contenders in the league, but only two can play in the final dance of the NHL.

While the Avalanche and the Panthers are solid contenders, the other two squads just seem too skilled and too destined to make it this year, the Dallas Stars and the Carolina Hurricanes.

While the hurricanes have the tools, I think they don’t have the luck, a crucial part of any deep playoff run. 

Dallas just seems too good not to go far this year and for me, it’s clear that the Stars will Hoist the cup come Spring.