48% of NHL writers and broadcasters pick Edmonton Oilers to win 2025 Stanley Cup

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Almost half of NHL writers and broadcasters (70 out of 147 for 48%) pick the Edmonton Oilers to win the 2025 Stanley Cup, with the Dallas Stars being the next best bet.

Here are the predictions I found, with the number picking the Oilers and the overall number making predictions at each media outlet: ESPN 12/24; Bleacher Report 5/7; NY Post 1/3; Sportsnet 16/20; Dobber Hockey 9/19; TSN 6/7; CBS Sports 1/2; The Sporting News 1/1, The Hockey News 17/56; the Daily Faceoff, 4/7; and USA Today 0/2.

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As for individual comments from writers and broadcasters, here are a few highlights:

Lyle Richardson, Bleacher Report
The Stars possess deep forward lines with a good mix of veteran leaders like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene, players such as Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz entering their playing prime, and rising talent like Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven. Goaltender Jake Oettinger is only 25 but already has four seasons of NHL experience and is considered among the league’s best. The defense corps could use more depth on the right side but still possess a solid top three with Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Thomas Harley. Expect Stars GM Jim Nill to address that right-side deficiency on his blue line before the March 7 trade deadline. The right additions could push the Stars to Stanley Cup glory.

Mary Clarke of USA Today 
I get it, the Oilers are the popular pick to run it back and McDavid winning his first Stanley Cup is a great story, but this is Dallas’ year. Book it.

Frank Seravalli, The Daily Faceoff
The Edmonton Oilers will end Canada’s Stanley Cup drought at 32 years. They will repeat what the Florida Panthers accomplished, becoming the second straight team to lose in the Cup Final the year prior and then vanquish their loss the following year. It’s a matter of when and not if – McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are not going to be denied.

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Bryan Murphy of The Sporting News
Dallas has knocked on the door so many times over the past couple of seasons. The team is too deep and plays so structurally sound. If Jake Oettinger can find himself in the postseason, it’s a scary team to think about come playoff time.

Sarah Civian, Bleacher Report
It’ll be the Oilers. They know what it takes to end up only several plays or bounces away from actually doing it.

Chris Bengel of CBS Sports
This time around, the Oilers will get the job done. Edmonton arguably has a deeper roster than a year ago after adding veteran forwards like Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to their top six. For the first time in several years, the Oilers also have a strong netminder in the crease in the form of Stuart Skinner, who tallied a 2.45 goals-against-average during Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2023-24.

Darren Dreger, TSN
There’s just something about destiny, McDavid and Oilers. The Oilers win.

My take

1. In a 32-team league with a hard salary cap, it’s extremely difficult to get back to the Stanley Cup Final. This is true, in particular, for an older team that has to grind its way through an endless season and playoffs. But I also think the Oilers will win the Stanley Cup. I think they’ve got the best odds. But those odds are still about one in three, with the other top teams having about a 10 per cent chance each.

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2. So much can go wrong on your way to the Stanley Cup even if you have the best team. In particular injuries can strike down your team in the playoffs. For example, how much more likely would it have been that the Oilers would have won the Cup if Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane had been healthier in June? I think it was a massive factor in Edmonton losing to Florida.

But such is hockey.

3. There’s also the chaos of NHL goaltending. Stuart Skinner was great at times in the NHL playoffs. At other times he was rancid. How will he do this year? And how will opposing goalies do? Will one of them stand on his head repeatedly against the Oilers? Or will it be Skinner making the out-of-this-world saves?

Who knows? Nobody.

4. In the end, though, I think TSN’s Dreger put it best. There’s just something about destiny, McDavid, the Oilers.

The Oilers will do it.

Make that 71 out of 148 picking Edmonton.

At the Cult of Hockey

McCURDY: Oilers finalize roster, sign Dermott, put Kane on LTIR

McCURDY: Lavoie back on waivers; here’s why Oilers should claim him

STAPLES: Noah Philp gets rave review from Oilers’ GM

McCURDY: Oilers juggle the roster cleverly in order to maximize impact of Evander Kane going onto LTIR

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