These four NHL teams have the most Stanley Cup ingredients

Apr 8, 2025, 09:00 EDT

Credit: Feb 7, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) looks to make a pass in front of Colorado Avalanche defensemen Cale Makar (8) during the third period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Welcome to the conclusion of Daily Faceoff Stanley Cup Ingredients 2024-25. I’ve developed a formula consisting of seven common traits among recent Stanley Cup champions, using the previous 10 seasons as the sample to study. You can click here for a more detailed breakdown of the inspiration for the formula and how accurately it has predicted teams going deep in the playoffs.

I broke down the Stanley Cup ingredients in seven parts:

1. Team Weight – Are you one of the 10 heaviest teams in the NHL by average player weight?

2. Top-10 Scorer(s) – Do you have a player with 50 or more games played who ranks top-10 in points per game?

3. Top-10 Goalie – Do you have a goalie who has played at least half your games and sits top-10 in save percentage?

4. Expected Goal Differential – Do you rank top-10 in the NHL in 5-on-5 expected goal differential?

5. Penalty-Killing Efficiency – Does your PK rank in the top two thirds of the NHL?

6. Stanley Cup Rings – Do you have at least one player who has won the Cup before?

7. Trade Deadline Acquisitions – Did you acquire at least one NHL roster player within two months of the Deadline this season?

Now, the best part: applying the formula to all 32 teams to see who shares the most ingredients with the past 10 Stanley Cup champions.

Team	Heavy	Top Scorer	Top Goalie	xGA diff.	Top-21 PK	Cup Ring(s)	Trade(s)	TOTAL
Anaheim	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Boston	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	2
Buffalo	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Calgary	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	3
Carolina	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	4
Chicago	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	3
Colorado	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Columbus	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Dallas	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	5
Detroit	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	3
Edmonton	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Florida	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	4
Los Angeles	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Minnesota	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	4
Montreal	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	3
Nashville	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	3
New Jersey	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	3
NY Islanders	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	1
NY Rangers	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	4
Ottawa	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	4
Philadelphia	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	3
Pittsburgh	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	3
San Jose	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Seattle	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	5
St. Louis	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	1
Tampa Bay	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	5
Toronto	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	5
Utah	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	2
Vancouver	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	3
Vegas	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5
Washington	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	5
Winnipeg	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6

Data through games completed April 6

Most Stanley Cup Ingredients, 2024-25 NHL teams

MICHELIN STAR

Colorado Avalanche – 6
Edmonton Oilers – 6
Los Angeles Kings – 6
Winnipeg Jets – 6

DELICIOUS

Dallas Stars – 5
Seattle Kraken – 5
Tampa Bay Lightning – 5
Toronto Maple Leafs – 5
Vegas Golden Knights – 5
Washington Capitals – 5

COULD USE A PINCH OF SALT

Carolina Hurricanes – 4
Florida Panthers – 4
Minnesota Wild – 4
NY Rangers – 4
Ottawa Senators – 4

BLAND

Calgary Flames – 3
Chicago Blackhawks – 3
Detroit Red Wings – 3
Montreal Canadiens – 3
Nashville Predators – 3
New Jersey Devils – 3
Philadelphia Flyers – 3
Pittsburgh Penguins – 3
Vancouver Canucks – 3

SEND IT BACK

Anaheim Ducks – 2
Boston Bruins – 2
Buffalo Sabres – 2
Columbus Blue Jackets – 2
San Jose Sharks – 2
Utah Hockey Club – 2

CALL THE HEALTH INSPECTOR

New York Islanders – 1
St. Louis Blues – 1

Key takeaways

– The top two tiers contain all four division leaders this season, and 13 of the 15 teams in the top three tiers occupied playoff positions through play April 6. The formula works, I tell ya!

– Good luck surviving the Western Conference. The top tier consists of only West teams, while the second tier contains three more. The Jets, Stars, and Avs and the Golden Knights, Kings and Oilers are going to kill each other in the first two rounds, and the winner of the divisional bracket will likely get one of those other three teams as reward at the end.

– The Blues leap off the page, tying for dead last with just one Stanley Cup ingredient. Does that mean we should temper our enthusiasm over just-completed epic 12-game winning streak? They don’t stand out in any area, they rank as a below-average defensive team, and they have the second-highest PDO in the league since the 4 Nations, during which they’ve gone a staggering 18-3-2. But it’s worth noting that their play driving has also improved a ton during that span, especially in their defensive work, so their poor score in the formula largely reflects their bad start to the year before Jim Montgomery replaced Drew Bannister as coach.

– On the flip side, why do the lowly Kraken fare so well? It’s a bit deceiving. They’re a “yes” in the trade category because they made deals, but those were seller trades. They also earned one yes for merely having a top-21 penalty kill in the league. They don’t have an elite scorer or a strong showing in expected goal differential; in other words, they lack some of the baseline needs of an actual good hockey team.

– The Oilers, health permitting, remain exactly what we thought they were: great in all facets of the game save for their obvious weakness, goaltending. Their 2024 Cup Final counterparts, the Panthers, check fewer boxes than they did last year, but their ceiling remains sky-high if their top talents, such as Matthew Tkachuk, are healthy in time for the postseason.

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