Offensively early Stanley Cup picks for 2023-24

Credit: Sebastian Aho and Ondrej Palat (© James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)

It’s over. The 2023 Stanley Cup champion has been crowned. And that means it’s fair game to start looking forward to 2023-24.

A flurry of offseason activity awaits us, so we all reserve the right to change our predictions before next season starts. But right now, in the moment, I want your gut feeling: Who is your offensively early Stanley Cup pick for 2023-24?

MATT LARKIN: I was blown away by the New Jersey Devils’ strides this season. They were dominant wire to wire. They got a superstar effort from Jack Hughes and elite work from Dougie Hamilton on defense. They had elite possession numbers. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and, after dropping their first two games to the New York Rangers, rallied for a seven-game series win. I love that this core already has a trip to Round 2 under its belt. Goaltending remains a question mark, and we’ll see what happens with RFA Timo Meier, but it was heartening to see Jesper Bratt locked up on a max-term deal. The Devils have a young, ascending team that will get a full season out of defenseman Luke Hughes to boot. They remind me of Colorado a few years ago when Cale Makar was arriving on the scene. If they can solidify their crease, they could go all the way a year from now.

NICK ALBERGA: I’m going to be disgustingly boring and go with the Colorado Avalanche. Let’s be honest: Colorado’s hopes of a repeat were derailed by injuries. And lots of them. Assuming they get everything back in order, it’s hard to look at that roster and not call them a Stanley Cup contender —at the very least. I just think they had the classic year after going all the way. It takes a toll on you. Furthermore, I expect Joe Sakic to be active this summer as he works to bolster that lineup. Any way you slice it, Colorado’s window to win is still very much wide open.

STEVEN ELLIS: I’m going back to my Carolina Hurricanes projection. All four games against Florida were one-goal losses, so it wasn’t like they were dominated in the sweep. They got outgoalied. I think the Hurricanes learned some lessons and will help shore up their roster, and hopefully add another high-impact forward this summer after getting nothing out of Max Pacioretty. The club is teetering on “must-win” territory in the near future, and it’s time to capitalize on it.

MIKE MCKENNA: The Vegas Golden Knights are going to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions in 2024. Take a look at their roster next season: it’s only missing a few components from this 2022-23 campaign. Ivan Barbashev will probably sign elsewhere, and I’d be surprised to see Adin Hill back in the fold. But honestly with the core Vegas has built, do the ancillary pieces matter during the regular season? The Golden Knights’ playoff run has already proven to the front office that goalies don’t matter, so why spend cap space there? Of course I say that tongue-in-cheek because Hill was very good in the playoffs. But honestly, with the strength of the team and Bruce Cassidy’s system, I think Vegas could have won the Stanley Cup with any of their netminders. Logan Thompson and someone else will be the puck-stoppers in Vegas, and Thompson is still on an upward trajectory. My only question is health. I hope with everything in me that Mark Stone’s back stays strong, but it’s a concern. And players like Alec Martinez and Alex Pietrangelo aren’t getting any younger. But I think Cassidy is the perfect coach for Vegas and I could easily see the team going on a two- to three-year run of excellence.

FRANK SERAVALLI: I’m going to go with the Edmonton Oilers. Yeah, yeah, I know I picked the Oilers at the start of this postseason, and that didn’t work out well. They lost to the team that they’d crushed in the regular season, the second year in a row Edmonton has been bounced by the eventual Stanley Cup champion. Logic would say that they’re close. My gut says they’re the team to beat, that next year is their year. I truly believe McDavid and Draisaitl wouldn’t be denied this year – and that Draisaitl still ended up tied for the playoff lead in goals despite not playing the final month, maybe there’s something to that. Yet, it was also a reminder that they can’t do it on their own as Zach Hyman and Evander Kane were banged up, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins disappeared at the exact wrong time. Man, it feels like a huge summer for the Oilers. Check with me again in October, but right now, that’s my pick.

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Offensively early Stanley Cup picks for 2023-24

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