Flames, Lightning, Vegas, Jets, Leafs: With most of the clear cut contenders knocked out, who is the

When the Sportsnet panel made their picks for the playoffs, every single person on that panel picked Tampa Bay to win their first round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Out of the 22 panelists, 18 picked the Tampa Bay Lightning to be cup champions. But the 2019 Stanley cup playoffs have been weird, and somehow the second round of the playoffs will be played without Tampa Bay, Calgary, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg or Vegas.

So who’s the cup favourite now? Well, to win a Stanley Cup, you need to have a combination of speed, skill, grit, goaltending, puck luck and chemistry. I think the only team that checks all those boxes still in the playoffs are the St. Louis Blues.

I know what all of you are asking: Why not teams like Columbus And New York? They swept Tampa and Pittsburgh respectively, so what do they get? Well, here’s my answer. First of all, Pittsburgh wasn’t healthy in the playoffs, and they didn’t show any energy what so ever. So it’s not the greatest thing in the world to sweep Pittsburgh. I think when they face either Washington or Carolina in the second round, they’re done. You want to know why? Well, one because Carolina and Washington are both legitimate cup contenders, and two because the Islanders don’t have the talent up front. They rode good coaching through the first round, but it’s not the coaches winning you the cup. The New York Islanders do not have enough skill to beat powerhouse teams, who have enough snipers to make you pay.

As for Columbus, they have skill, speed, grit and goaltending and their chemistry is also getting better. For me, the difference between them being a good team and them being a cup contender is their big guys’ performance up front. Their defense and goalkeeping are solid, so it’s all up to the likes of Matt Duchene, Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin to put pucks in the back of the net. If they do, I’d say the Blue Jackets have a pretty good shot.

My prediction: Hurricanes vs Blues, Blues in 6.

But don’t take my word for it. I’m just a ten-year-old, aspiring GM. Let me know in the comments who you think has the best cup chance.

Until next time,

Johnny