Stanley Cup Finals: Likely Winners and Bold Predictions

The Florida Panthers may be the favorites to repeat, but will they make it to the Stanley Cup Finals again?

Sep 24, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Filip Chytil (72) celebrates his goal against the New York Islanders during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The Florida Panthers kick-off their Stanley Cup championship defense with a divisional matchup against the Boston Bruins. With the core returning in the Sunshine State, a championship repeat is on the Panthers' mind, but can they do it? With the regular season beginning, let's take a look at some predictions for this season's Stanley Cup Finals.

The New York Rangers will battle the Edmonton Oilers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.

The Oilers are hungry after falling to the Panthers last year. They signed star center Leon Draisaitl to the richest contract in league history and their captain Connor McDavid is playing for a new contract himself. The ingredients are all there for the Oilers to repeat as Western Conference champions.

Meanwhile, the Rangers are a rock solid team in every respect. They have scoring throughout the lineup, a defensive group that can skate with the rush and defend it just as well, and a world-class goaltender in Igor Shesterkin. Getting past the defending champions will be a daunting challenge, but the Rangers are entering a make or break season in their Cup pursuits.

Prediction: the Rangers defeat the Oilers in six games to win the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals.

While that is the likeliest outcome in my opinion, the NHL playoffs are the best postseason in sports for a reason. The Rangers and Oilers are the two best choices to battle it out for the Cup, but here's a scenario I would love to see play out in the 2025 finals.

Imagine the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning battling it out in the finals. It's a matchup of Steven Stamkos versus his former organization as the Preds and Lightning go toe-to-toe. Both teams have tons of talent, stellar goaltending, and a Norris Trophy-candidate defensemen, and they would provide an entertaining and emotional matchup in the Stanley Cup Finals.

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