5 Contenders for the Stanley Cup 2022

The NHL continues to recruit truly incredible hockey players that continue to elevate the sport to greater heights each year. As such, many fans eagerly await the annual return of the Stanley Cup which seeks to prove once and for all which team is truly the best in the world for that year. 

Coming fresh off of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s incredible victory in the 2021 competition, fans are anticipating the coming Stanley Cup perhaps more than they ever have done before! But who are the five contenders that fans should be keeping their eyes on this year? Let’s find out!

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning not only won the Stanley cup in 2021, but they also won it in 2020 too! Thus, the team is in an incredible position to be in with the chance of breaking a record that has not even been challenged since the 1980s, when the New York Islanders won three consecutive cups in a row! This of course makes the team a very exciting one to look out for as the cup approaches. 

Fans will no doubt eagerly be anticipating some fantastic plays from Steven Stamkos, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. These are two of the team’s biggest and best players, and so fans are eagerly awaiting just what it is they could achieve, especially because they have already achieved so much success in the past few years. 

The Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers have only been to the Stanley Cup Finals once – in 1996 against the Colorado Avalanche. Some think that might be the matchup again in 2022.

The Panthers look to be a lock to win the Atlantic Division, which would give them home ice for the first two rounds. Players such as Jonathan Huberdeau and Slava Barkov have made hockey exciting again in South Florida. The Panthers have pulled away from the competition in the Atlantic and are gearing up for what they hope is a long playoff run.

This could be year year of the Cat.

The Washington Capitals

Though you very rarely would have heard much about them in the past, thanks to recently acquiring some fantastic players and a more recent string of successes and incredible wins in recent years. This team now has some very interesting players, such as John Carlson and Tom Wilson. These players have managed to take the team from strength to strength more recently, and this has made the team definitely a surprise contender for the cup by the end of the year.

Unfortunately, players such as Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek have proven to be a little more inconsistent this season than ever, which has led many fans to be slightly concerned that the team’s chances at glory could be in jeopardy. However, if these players can get back into form then the team will surely be unstoppable! Make sure to check out the Washington Capitals’  Odds to Win the Stanley Cup, as they just may surprise you!

This team is certainly capable of winning the cup this year, and so fans are eager to see how they perform over the next few months. And the team also has plenty of surprises up its sleeve in the coming months, as some of their best players have not even been playing, due to injuries, including T.J. Oshie. When these players return, you can bet that this team will fly even higher!

Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche is blessed to have two of the best players in the sport currently playing for their side in the game. These are Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Nathan and Mikko have scored a massive number of goals over the past few games, making them incredible forward players.

But that is not all, as the team also has an incredible defense in the form of the famous Cale Makar. Cale has proven himself to be a world-class defender and has helped to save his team from defeat many a time and has been responsible for some of the best defensive plays in recent memory. 

Fans of the Colorado Avalanche might also want to keep their eyes closely trained on Nazem Kadri who has managed to score an incredible number of goals alone and has managed to help the team wrestle victory from their opponent’s hands on multiple occasions. 

With the addition of both Nathan and Mikko, along with Cale Makar and Nazem Kadri, it is no wonder why the team has been able to win so many games lately. They have shown that they are one of the most promising teams in the league right now, and so fans should look out for them when the playoffs come around. 

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have made some strange choices in recent years, including letting go of star player Dougie Hamilton. Thus, you are probably quite surprised to see them make this list. Luckily, despite their setbacks, the team has managed to go from strength to strength as they have successfully crushed their opponents so far this year. 

The team has many incredible players such as goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta who have managed to stave off attempts at victory from many rival teams. 

To Finish

There you have it! Those are just a few of the incredible teams you should watch out for over the course of the Stanley Cup! They each have something incredible to bring to the table, so it is certainly going to be an exciting competition