Friday Four: Ranking all possible Stanley Cup Final matchups

And then there were four. 

We are a little over halfway through the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and four teams can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Two more series wins, and one will be crowned champion, while the other three will have to start climbing the mountain from the bottom once again. 

Even though we’re just one game into the third round, it’s never too early to start anticipating potential matchups for the Stanley Cup Final. We’ve been spoiled the past two seasons watching Connor McDavid chase that elusive trophy against the Florida Panthers, a juggernaut that’s been virtually unstoppable in the post-season. Those were two great series with a lot of memorable moments, but without those two squads participating this time around, we’ve got some fresh potential matchups on the horizon. 

All four teams remaining boast a lot of talent and skill. The Montreal Canadiens are the youngest team in the playoffs and appear to only be scratching the surface of what they’re capable of, while the Carolina Hurricanes may be the closest thing to a machine we’ve seen. The Canes steamrolled their competition in the first two rounds before the Canadiens exploited a rusty Carolina squad to the tune of six goals in Game 1. 

Then there’s the Colorado Avalanche, who won the Presidents’ Trophy and arguably possess two of the top five players in the world. Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights are being powered by Mitch Marner and Pavel Dorofeyev, who are both having a sensational post-season. 

Any combination of these four teams could have the makings of a phenomenal final, but let’s rank all the matchups and break down which are the most compelling. 

1. Avalanche versus Hurricanes — Who needs Mikko Rantanen anyway?

These two teams feel like they’ve been on a collision course since the moment the puck dropped for the playoffs and they were a combined 16-1 in the post-season before Round 3 began. They both quickly find themselves trailing in the Conference Final, though, so the Avs and Canes have a bit of an uphill climb to make this matchup happen. 

Colorado and Carolina finished first and second, respectively, in the standings this season and are a good matchup style-wise. The Canes are very structured defensively and only allowed 10 goals in their two sweeps of Ottawa and Philadelphia, thanks in part to the strong play of Frederik Andersen in the opening two rounds. Colorado, on the other hand, looks like the Showtime Lakers on a perpetual fast break. The two teams met twice this season, with Colorado winning the first outing 5-4 in a shootout and Carolina answering back 5-3 in the rematch, so expect some fireworks. Both teams would be facing their toughest stylistic matchup in the playoffs to date and it’s going to be a real test for each squad to implement their game plan. 

There would also be some great individual battles to watch. Namely, Nathan MacKinnon and Jaccob Slavin, who would likely be matched up against one another all series. Slavin, despite a tough outing in Game 1 versus Montreal, is widely regarded as one of the best defensive defencemen in the NHL and dealing with MacKinnon night in and night out would be a huge test. Nobody scored more goals this season than the Avalanche superstar and the pair have squared off in some massive games recently, including the gold medal showdown at the Olympics and the 4 Nations Face-Off Final.

One other interesting thing about this clash is that both teams traded away Mikko Rantanen in the past 18 months. Typically, trading a superstar ends up in a disastrous outcome, but the Avs and Canes have managed to thrive since moving him. A big part of that is the returns they each got for Rantanen. Martin Necas has taken his game to another level in Colorado and Logan Stankoven has elevated his play in the playoffs, notching seven goals in nine games. 

If you’re a neutral fan, this is the matchup you should be rooting for. 

2. Avalanche versus Canadiens – Alex Newhook’s revenge?

The Avalanche must be wondering where this Alex Newhook was when he was with the organization for three seasons.

Newhook scored two goals in 32 playoff games with Colorado but has exploded for seven in these playoffs with the Canadiens. He’s been clutch, too. Newhook scored the game-winning goal in game seven in Round 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and then followed that up with the overtime winner to eliminate the Buffalo Sabres in the second round. When the Avs dealt him to Montreal for a bunch of prospect capital a few years back, I’m not sure they envisioned him being a Conn Smythe dark horse one day. 

A Canadiens and Avalanche final would arguably have the biggest collection of individual talent of all the four teams remaining. There would be the league’s top two goal scorers in MacKinnon and Cole Caufield, a pair of elite offensive defencemen in Cale Makar and Lane Hutson, as well as Selke finalists Brock Nelson and Nick Suzuki. The Canadiens and Avalanche can answer each other at just about every position. 

There’s also a big Patrick Roy connection, as he won two Stanley Cups with each franchise and coached the Avalanche for three seasons. It would be nostalgic for both teams to walk down memory lane where Roy is concerned. 

3. Golden Knights versus Canadiens — A Leaf fan’s worst nightmare

A horrible season for Toronto Maple Leaf fans, outside of that lottery win of course, still has a chance to get worse. In a matchup between the Canadiens and Golden Knights, Leaf fans would be forced to either watch their arch rival or Marner lift the Stanley Cup. Marner has been silencing his critics so far in these playoffs and there’s still a chance he could capture the Cup and maybe even the Conn Smythe. 

This series would also illuminate how far Suzuki has come as a player. When Vegas dealt the former first-round pick to Montreal in exchange for Max Pacioretty, he hadn’t yet played an NHL game. Now he’s a 100-point player, might win the Selke and featured for Canada at the Olympics. Vegas’ aggressive strategy of moving first-round picks for immediate help has mostly served them well, but this is one they probably want to have back. 

There’s also some recent playoff history between these two teams, which is surprising since they play in opposite conferences. Montreal and Vegas faced off in the semifinals during the 56-game season a few years ago due to the pandemic, when the divisions were re-aligned. The Canadiens won the series in an upset in six games, with Artturi Lehkonen playing the hero in overtime. You can bet Vegas hasn’t forgotten. 

4. Golden Knights versus Hurricanes — A defensive showdown

Vegas and Carolina wouldn’t have as many storylines as some of the other matchups. No offence to Noah Hanifin or William Carrier, who actually won a Cup with Vegas, but no one is tuning in to see them face their former teams. 

Instead, expect to watch some good, disciplined hockey. The Golden Knights and Hurricanes are the two most structured teams remaining and don’t give you much time and space in the offensive zone. That’s thanks to two really balanced and deep blue lines as well as a couple of really good defensive centres in Jordan Staal and William Karlsson. Both teams are fundamentally sound and won’t beat themselves. However, Carolina would have a big edge when it comes to speed and Vegas may have its hands full trying to handle the pace of the Canes. 

John Torotorella and Rod Brind’Amour are two of the most intense coaches out there and are very detail oriented, so you can bet there will be a meltdown or two at some point during this potential series that will provide some great entertainment. 

This clash may not produce as many goals as a Montreal and Colorado final, but if you’re a fan of sound defensive hockey and appreciate the intricate subtleties of the game, this could be the series for you.