On the first day of regular season hockey, preseason picks for Stanley Cup Favorites are pouring in.
The first games of the season are here for the NHL, which means preseason Stanley Cup predictions are in!
Sportsnet released the Stanley Cup Champion picks for each of their media members, while a prominent ESPN writer put in his pick for Dallas on Tuesday.
A few teams in the mix are the Florida Panthers, the Edmonton Oilers, the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers. The Panthers are of course the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, and the Oilers are the team that lost to Florida in the Stanley Cup Final. The Dallas Stars have now lost in the Western Confrence Final the last two seasons, but could finally put it together this year.
The New York Rangers were the other team in the final four last year, with the Rangers edging out the Stars for last year's President Trophy. They also have the ability to put it together and make another Cup run this year.
While it might seem too easy to pick the four Conference Finalists from last year, those four teams seem most equipped to make another deep run, despite some other teams loading up to challenge for one or more of those spots this postseason.
Sportsnet released their predictions on Tuesday made by their NHL insiders and on-air personalities. The heavy favorite according to Sportsnet is the Oilers, which makes sense given that they are Canada's main broadcaster of the NHL. Eric Engels and Ryan Dixon are the only two who picked the Stars to go all the way, and Nick Kypreos picking Florida to repeat was the only other media selection to go against Edmonton.
Greg Wyshynski of ESPN had the Oilers as his pick to win the Stanley Cup last season, but he made the switch to Dallas this year. Wyshinski has the Stars beating the New Jersey Devils next June. He cites the Stars mix of young players and veterans as his reason to pick Dallas.
"I have a concept called the 'Hockey Parfait' in which every successful team has to have different layers of experience, all pushing each other to succeed, every flavor in balance to form a delicacy. I think GM Jim Nill, while not a pastry chef by trade, has constructed a delicious one this season," Wyshinski wrote in his ESPN+ article.
Wyshynski spoke with Stars GM Jim Nill, letting him know that he picked them as his Cup favorite. Nill's response was probably one that most Stars fans can relate to.
"I don't know if that's good or bad, but thank you," Nill told him.
Stars players, brass and even fans are notorious for wanting to fly under the radar when it comes to being hyped as a front runner. Getting so close to the Final two seasons in a row can only provide a certain amount of invisibility, though.
Nill went on to speak about how tough the path the Stars had last season through the playoffs, but how the players are hungry to make the next and final step this season.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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