NHL Contenders & Pretenders: Three Words about Why Your Team Can & Can't Win the Cup
We're into the part of the season where the real analysis is starting to fly about which teams are true contenders and which ones are hopeless pretenders. We've got a pretty good grasp on which eight teams from the East will make the playoffs already. The West is a bit more open, but we're probably down to a 10 or 11 team race.
That's too limited though. I don't want to give up hope on anybody in early February. I also don't want to crown the cup champs this early. However, we're pragmatists here at WIIM. There aren't going to be 30 contenders and we can summarize why every team sucks without wasting unnecessary space. With that in mind, we limited ourselves to only three words (allowing for contractions) in giving reasons why all 30 teams can win the Stanley Cup, but will ultimately fail.
Check it out.
| Three Words Why They'll Win | Three Words Why They'll Lose | |
| ANAHEIM | powerhouse forward corps | high-event gambling |
| ARIZONA | hockey gods' pity? | won't make playoffs |
| BOSTON | rough and tumble | bunch of babies |
| BUFFALO | not technically eliminated | come on, really? |
| CALGARY | activate Gaudreau mode | not that good |
| CAROLINA | Metro division collapses | not enough Staals |
| CHICAGO | they're really good | should've kept Leddy |
| COLORADO | PDO rides again | Roy isn't magic |
| COLUMBUS | injuries end, luck | missing too much |
| DALLAS | high-flying offense | low-hanging fruit |
| DETROIT | energy, experience mix | dat defense tho |
| EDMONTON | shady business dealings | they know how |
| FLORIDA | steadily improving youth | still not close |
| LOS ANGELES | acquire Ryan Johansen | no Columbus trade |
| MINNESOTA | good skating team | short one goaltender |
| MONTREAL | Price over-reliance | Price over-reliance |
| NASHVILLE | Rinne beats all | no playoff experience |
| NEW JERSEY | Satan's a fan | Marty ain't returning |
| NY ISLANDERS | great possession team | thin between pipes |
| NY RANGERS | Lundvist is amazing | forwards are meh |
| OTTAWA | ultimate Cinderella dream | c'mon, it's Canada |
| PHILADELPHIA | Giroux and Voracek | every other player |
| PITTSBURGH | top tier talent | depth below Crosby |
| SAN JOSE | loads of skill | can't stop choking |
| ST LOUIS | skill and size | mentally fragile team |
| TAMPA BAY | scoring. defense. goaltending | inconsistent defensive play |
| TORONTO | ha. ha. ha. | ha. ha. ha. |
| VANCOUVER | major balanced scoring | Ryan Miller implosion |
| WASHINGTON | don't face Halak | Orpik top pair |
| WINNIPEG | Little Kane Byfuglien | more Ondrej Pavelec |
What three words would you use to describe your team's reasons for/against?