Which New York-area team will be the next to win a Stanley Cup?
The NHL has three New York-area teams – the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils – all at different points in their paths to a Stanley Cup Playoff run.
• The Rangers, two seasons removed from winning the Presidents’ Trophy, missed the playoffs last spring and are now trying to climb back into the top half of the league standings.
• The Devils are one of the best teams in the league right now, competing with the Carolina Hurricanes at the top of the Metropolitan Division.
• Meanwhile, the Islanders, who selected Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick last summer, are fighting to stay out of the NHL basement, thanks in large part to a great start from Schaefer.
On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton are joined by Hockey Night in New York host and Daily Faceoff Tri-State Hockey host Arthur Staple to discuss the three teams and who is closest to winning it all.
Tyler Yaremchuk: If you were a betting man, how would you rank the odds for the three teams of their chances to bringing a Stanley Cup back to the area? Obviously this year, you’d have the Devils and Rangers ahead of the Islanders, but the Rangers look like they’re at the end of a competitive window, and the Islanders may have put themselves in a better spot. It’s not this year, it’s a bigger picture, multi-year question.
Arthur Staple: I got to put the Devils at the top – not just because of what they’ve been doing this year, but it’s a really good lineup. I have some questions about goaltending and they’ve been hit by the injury bug hard every year.
When you look at the Hughes brothers, Jesper Bratt, who might be the most underrated player in the NHL, even though he’s reached star status for me. Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, they’ve got the best top-nine forward group in the Eastern Conferences, with all of the Florida Panthers’ absences.
I feel like this New Jersey team is ready to pop. They’re still a few tweaks away from being a serious Cup contender, but they’re right there.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…