The 107th NHL season shines a spotlight on four Canadian teams who have secured their places in the playoffs as they chase the elusive Stanley Cup. Since it was last won by one of them in 1993, this time around undoubtedly ignites hopes across the nation for a long-awaited championship.
Let’s take a closer look at the four contenders:
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs have showcased quite the performance this season, which has secured them a favorable position for the upcoming NHL playoffs. The team was established in 1917 as the Toronto Arenas. Initially managed by the Toronto Arena Company, they underwent several name changes, becoming the St. Patricks in 1919 and the Maple Leafs in 1927. As one of the “Original Six” and playing in the Atlantic Division, they hold thirteen Stanley Cup titles, the second most in the league after the Montreal Canadiens. Today, the Leafs are the NHL’s most valuable team, with many online sports betting sites in Canada backing them as the top hope for a Canadian team to break the drought.
Players to Watch
Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews continues to dominate the ice with precision scoring as one of the NHL’s leading forwards. He made history as the first player in the modern NHL to net four goals in his debut game.
Mitchell Marner
Mitchell Marner is known for his exceptional vision and passing accuracy. He was chosen as the fourth pick by the Maple Leafs in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets compete in the NHL’s Western Conference within the Central Division, and they’re owned by True North Sports & Entertainment. Fans that supported them from day one know them as the Atlanta Thrashers, with the team kicking off its first NHL season in 1999. In 2011, True North acquired the club and relocated to Winnipeg, marking the league’s first relocation since 1997, when the Hartford Whalers transformed into the Carolina Hurricanes.
The franchise adopted the Jets’ name, a nod to Winnipeg’s earlier WHA/NHL team, which moved to become the Arizona Coyotes after the 1995-96 season due to financial struggles.
Players to Watch
Mark Scheifele
During the 2022-23 season, Mark Scheifele achieved a career milestone by scoring 40 goals, becoming the sixth player in the history of the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers to reach this mark and the third since the team’s relocation to Winnipeg in 2011.
Connor Hellebuyck
Before the Jets, Connor Hellebuyck excelled at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, contributing to back-to-back Hockey East titles by allowing only 84 goals across 53 games. He won the first Mike Richter Award in 2014 as the top NCAA Division I goaltender.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have clinched a playoff spot for the fifth consecutive year. After a challenging start of 2–9–1 and undergoing a coaching change, the Oilers might top their division for the first time in 37 years. Key players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have driven this turnaround with outstanding performances. McDavid is on the verge of surpassing 100 assists, while Draisaitl remains a pivotal figure. Additional contributions from Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and Mattias Ekholm, with Bouchard and Ekholm exceeding their previous points records and Hyman scoring 50 goals, have significantly supported the team’s success.
Players to Watch
Connor McDavid
McDavid reached 900 career points in just 602 games, becoming the fifth-fastest NHL player to hit this milestone. He achieved this during a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on January 2, 2024, contributing one goal and four assists.
Leon Draisaitl
Draisaitl established a new Stanley Cup Playoff record by scoring three or more points in five consecutive games during the 2022 Western Conference Second Round against the Calgary Flames.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks compete in the NHL as part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference and host their games at Rogers Arena. After joining the league in 1970, they have reached the Stanley Cup Finals thrice but have yet to secure a championship. They experienced significant success in the early 2010s, capturing the President’s Trophy for the league’s best record in consecutive seasons (2010-11 and 2011-12). Historically, they won three division titles in the Smythe Division and seven in the Northwest Division.
Players to Watch
Elias Pettersson
Elias Pettersson quickly proved his NHL readiness by scoring a goal and an assist in his debut game for the Canucks against the Calgary Flames on October 3, 2018.
He followed this up with two goals and an assist in another matchup with Calgary just three days later, after being selected fifth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Quinn Hughes
On September 11, 2023, Quinn Hughes was appointed the 15th captain of the Vancouver Canucks, becoming the first defenseman to hold the role full-time since Kevin McCarthy in 1979-1982.
