Canada’s best hope for the Stanley Cup isn’t the Canadiens

Jonathan Di Gregorio
Canada’s best hope for the Stanley Cup isn’t the Canadiens
Credit: Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

It has now been 33 years since a Canadian team last won the Stanley Cup.

That's a long drought for the country that invented hockey and is home to more than 20% of the NHL's teams.

Could the 2026–27 season be the year Canada finally breaks this curse?

In The Hockey News, Jim Parsons has ranked the seven teams based on their chances of winning the Stanley Cup next season.

According to him, the Canadiens are currently the second-most likely Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup.

Parsons believes the Oilers remain the Canadian team with the best chance of lifting the coveted trophy, even though the Alberta-based team experienced a setback last season, both during the regular season and in the playoffs.

However, even though Edmonton can count on two of the best players in the world, the team's success will depend above all on the gamble the club took by hiring Mike Babcock as its new head coach—for better or for worse.

Not to mention that the Oilers will also have a lot to prove this season, and several of their players—including Connor McDavid—will be on a mission next year.

Parsons still believes the Habs could have topped the list, following their run this past spring, when the team became the youngest in 33 years to reach the Eastern Conference Final.

Despite gaps at certain positions, Montreal already has the pieces in place within its core to contend for major honors with players like Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Ivan Demidov.

The reporter doesn't seem too concerned about the Habs' inactivity this summer and believes that the experience gained and the development of the team's young players will be enough to take the club to the next level.

It's also interesting to note that this ranking places the Maple Leafs in third place, just ahead of the Senators.

With the many changes over the summer, these two teams are difficult to assess heading into the upcoming season, and I get the impression that the two Ontario rivals could end up battling for a playoff spot.

Finally, the conference's three other Canadian teams round out this ranking among those with little chance of making the playoffs, with the Jets, the Flames, and, bringing up the rear, the Canucks.

In short, it'll be interesting to see how Canada's various teams perform next season and whether they can do better than last year, when only three teams made the playoffs.


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