A couple of days ago, we looked at potential Stanley Cup contenders in the Western Conference. Today, we’ll head to the Eastern Conference to examine the same. While as many as 11 teams could be playoff contenders in the East, only a select few are Cup hopefuls. Who has the best shot at Lord Stanley’s hardware in 2023-24? Let’s take a look.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs went through quite a few changes this summer, most notably making a switch at general manager by replacing Kyle Dubas with Brad Treliving. The latter got to work quickly and made a few additions that should help the Maple Leafs offensively.
Among Treliving’s acquisitions were Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi on one-year deals. Both players may be defensive liabilities, but they add more offense to an already potent attack. The same is true of John Klingberg, though his minutes need to be kept heavily sheltered on defense.
Bertuzzi, Domi and Klingberg were just complementary additions to one of the best cores in the league. Auston Matthews looks primed for a big year after netting a hat trick in the team’s season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. William Nylander and Mitch Marner are among the best wingers in the NHL, perhaps giving the Maple Leafs the best top-six in the league.
Even in the bottom-six, the Leafs have depth with players like Calle Jarnkrok, Matthew Knies, and David Kampf. The one question for the Maple Leafs this season will be their defense, which did not improve by adding Bertuzzi, Domi, and Klingberg. Acquiring a blueliner may be something Treliving has to address ahead of the trade deadline in early March.
There may be some questions about the Maple Leafs’ goaltending situation, but Ilya Samsonov is coming off the best season of his career, having totaled a .919 save percentage. Joseph Woll has produced at a high level in the AHL and should be a serviceable backup to Samsonov. It’s just a matter of their defense keeping shots at a level that won’t overwork their goaltenders.
Of course, there are the Maple Leafs’ woes in the playoffs. But this team has what it takes to win the Eastern Conference. They have some of the best goal-scorers in the league, and Samsonov and Woll should be an above-average tandem. If they can figure out their defense, they can make a run this spring.
Carolina Hurricanes
Perhaps the Cup favorites league-wide, the Hurricanes enter the 2023-24 season with high expectations. But they’ve been knocking on the door for a few years and made it to the Eastern Conference Final last season before getting swept by the Florida Panthers.
Though they didn’t make a marquee addition this summer, the Hurricanes added players who fit their needs and style of play and could help them get over the hump this spring. The most notable was signing Dmitry Orlov to a two-year deal, making an already great blue line the best in the NHL.
Because Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns have the top pair locked down, Orlov will slide onto the second pair alongside Brett Pesce. Even the team’s third unit of Brady Skjei and Tony DeAngelo is better than just about every third pair in the NHL. It’s difficult to find a blue line better than the Hurricanes’, and if they win the East, they’ll likely have a big say in it.
That should help goaltenders Freddie Andersen and Antti Raanta, who are above-average netminders, especially when healthy. If either of them falters, the Hurricanes can always turn to Pyotr Kochetkov, one of the top netminding prospects in the NHL and perhaps the best No. 3.
Up front, Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas are capable of 30-plus goals and 70-plus points, while Michael Bunting adds a bit more depth. The question with the Hurricanes is whether they have enough scoring to get it done in the playoffs. The depth is there, but they don’t have an elite game-breaker like the Maple Leafs or the team we’ll mention next.
Related: 3 Western Conference Stanley Cup Contenders for 2023-24
It’s difficult to pick a flaw with the Hurricanes. They have the best blue line in the NHL, have scoring capability on all four lines, even if they don’t have an elite game-breaker, and have three goalies who could help lead them on a run in the playoffs. There’s a reason why many sportsbooks have them as Cup favorites.
New Jersey Devils
After a breakout season in 2022-23 that saw the Devils go from perennial draft lottery hopefuls the year before to finishing only one point behind the Hurricanes for first in the Metro, they’re now among Cup contenders in the East. Depending on what sportsbook you look at, the Devils have anywhere from the fifth- to third-best odds to win the Cup.
They got off to a good start in their regular-season opener, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4-3. And the reason they won that opener is the reason why they could make a run in the playoffs. Jack Hughes scored two goals, both of the highlight-reel variety, to power the Devils past the Red Wings.
Hughes has the potential to crack 100 points this season if he stays healthy (he already has five in two games), but he’s far from the only reason the Devils could make a run. Nico Hischier is a Selke Trophy favorite, while Jesper Bratt is one of the best play-driving wingers in the NHL.
GM Tom Fitzgerald has brought in the right complementary pieces to support them over the last year in Timo Meier and Tyler Toffoli, the latter of who was acquired from the Calgary Flames this offseason. Because Toffoli and Meier are in the mix, that pushes players like Erik Haula and Ondrej Palát down the lineup, giving the Devils plenty of depth up front.
On defense, the Devils will have to replace Ryan Graves and Damon Severson with Kevin Bahl and Luke Hughes, two talented but inexperienced blueliners. That means there could be growing pains to start 2023-24. But in the end, that might not matter because it means the team’s defense should improve as the season progresses.
The biggest question for the Devils is in net. Vitek Vanecek is a solid regular-season starter but has struggled in the playoffs, posting an .834 SV% for his career (though only in ten games). Akira Schmid may be talented, but he’s still inexperienced. He got the Devils past the New York Rangers in Round 1 last season, but if he’s the starter come the playoffs, is he at the point where he’ll be ready to lead them on a deep run?
The Devils have the talent to win the East, but they’re still one of the youngest teams in the NHL. They might be one more year away from being the favorites in the Eastern Conference. But at least for 2023-24, they’re among the legit hopefuls.
Bubble Contender: New York Rangers
The Rangers got close in 2021-22, making a run to the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. They took a step back last season when the Devils eliminated them in the first round, but the pieces are still there for them to contend in the Eastern Conference.
Artemi Panarin’s play driving may be gradually declining, but he’s still an elite playmaker, helping offset that decline. Mika Zibanejad is a high-end first-line center, while Chris Kreider is one of the best net-front scorers in the NHL.
The key for the Rangers is getting more contributions from some of their former first-round picks. Filip Chytil has emerged as a viable second-line center and underrated scorer, but they need steps forward from Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere.
Kakko has been a solid player, especially off the puck, over the last couple of years. But if he can become a 20-25 goal scorer, that’d be a significant boon for the Rangers. Lafreniere had an excellent first game of 2023-24, totaling a goal and an expected goals share just above 91 percent in a 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Of course, it’s one game, and consistency has been an issue with the former first-overall pick. But if Lafreniere becomes a viable top-nine option for the Rangers, they will be a threat come playoff time, especially since they have the weapons in the top-six.
The Rangers’ defense is solid, led by Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller and Ryan Lindgren. But what makes the Rangers a potential Stanley Cup threat is Igor Shesterkin, one of the best goalies in the world. It doesn’t take much for him to go into sicko mode, and when he does, he makes the Rangers a very hard out.
The Best of the East
Like the Western Conference, there are only a few teams in the East who should be considered legitimate Stanley Cup hopefuls. The Hurricanes look like the best team in the East, so it’s no surprise many pundits are picking them to win the conference and perhaps the whole thing. But teams like the Devils, Maple Leafs and perhaps the Rangers won’t make it easy for them.
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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick
