NHL: Can Canada break their Stanley Cup drought?

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It has been another frustrating season for Canadian ice hockey fans, with the country’s seven NHL teams failing to break their Stanley Cup drought.

The Montreal Canadiens were the last team to get their hands on the trophy in 1993, defeating Los Angeles Kings 5-1 in the finals.

The latest NHL odds for the 2022/23 campaign list three Canadian teams in the top 10 of the outright right betting to win the Stanley Cup.

Read on as we take a closer look at which one of the trio is most likely to snap Canada’s miserable Stanley Cup run.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs are rated as second favourites behind Colorado Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1966/67.

Star forward Auston Matthews carried the team again last season, finishing as the league’s leading scorer for the second successive year with 60 goals in 73 games.

With Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly also in their ranks, Toronto have plenty of top talent at their disposal for the next campaign.

However, the biggest issue the Leafs must resolve if they want to be a genuine Stanley Cup contender is in the netminding department.

Acquiring Marc-Andre Fleury or Semyon Varlamov could be the final piece in the jigsaw that finally ends Toronto’s wait for another Stanley Cup.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers clinched their fifth Stanley Cup in 1989/90, but they have found success extremely tough to come by since then.

They briefly raised hopes of ending that barren run after dispensing with former head coach Dave Tippett and replacing him with Jay Woodcroft in February.

Edmonton subsequently posted a 26-9-3 record to progress to the post-season, before beating LA Kings and Calgary Flames to reach the Western Conference Finals.

They were swept aside by Colorado Avalanche at that stage, but saw enough in Woodcroft to award him a new three-year contract this summer.

With a few tweaks to the roster during the close season, the Oilers could well give everyone a run for their money next term.

Calgary Flames

The Flames defied expectations last season to claim top spot in the Pacific Division before progressing to the second round of the play-offs.

Their top line and defence ran out of steam at that stage, with the Oilers’ greater strength in depth helping them secure an impressive series victory.

With doubts about the futures of some of their top players, the Flames will need a lot of things to fall into place if they are to challenge for the Stanley Cup next season.

One of the biggest questions is pending unrestricted free agent Johnny Gaudreau’s status. The Flames have made him a lucrative offer, but he is undecided about his future.

The Flames also have several other roster issues to address, which makes it difficult to predict with any certainty how they will fare in 2022/23.

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