Puck Yes
NHL preview: 10 teams to watch for the Stanley Cup - are the Stars aligned?
Oct 2, 2019, 6:52 am
Want to get a puck past Ben Bishop of the Dallas Stars? Good luck. Getty Images
We will take break this week from bashing Bill O'Brien - what is left to say on that topic anyway? I was going to break down how dominant regular season teams often come up short in the playoffs and even did a bunch of research to show how that as good as the Astros are, they are no lock to win it all. But Joel Blank sort of took that angle so that one is dead. So for something different? The NHL season starts tonight. One of these years we will have a team in Houston. Last year we went in depth on every team. This year we will just focus on some key teams:
5 Eastern Conference Stanley Cup contenders
1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Simply the best, deepest team in hockey. They are loaded with four talented lines, terrific defensemen and an elite goalie in Andrei Vasilevskiy. They were dominant in the regular season last year, but their Achilles heel is the postseason. They have no shortage of playoff failings, including being swept out of the first round by an 8 seed last year in the biggest failure yet. They will be a juggernaut once again, but until they actually win a Cup, they are pretty much the Seattle Mariners circa early 2000s; loaded with talent at all levels, great in the regular season, but could never break through. They are about to be in a serious cap crunch, so this might be the last run as currently constructed.
2) Boston Bruins: The Bruins came up just short last year, losing in the Stanley Cup to St. Louis. The Bruins bring back pretty much the same group, although some key veterans are starting to age. Still, if goalie Tukka Rask plays at an elite level, the Bruins are a real threat, with solid defense, some underrated forwards and Rask capable of playing at a high level.
3) Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs have gone all in with this group, spending over $30 million on John Tavares, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. They are loaded at forward and might be the only team to match Tampa in depth with skaters. They made moves to try to improve the defense, which has been an issue year in and year out. The Leafs have Stanley Cup pedigree - from 1967. They have a history of playoff failure, and an inability to get past Boston in recent years. They have basically been the Chicago Cubs before the Cubs finally won a World Series. This is a big year for Toronto; next year will require significant roster changes to get under the cap. Head coach Mike Babcock is one of the best in the business, but he might be on the hot seat, especially if they are bounced by the Bruins in the first round yet again, a distinct possibility.
4) Washington Capitals: The Caps are getting older, but Alex Ovechkin is still a monster, Braden Holtby can still play at a high level in goal and the supporting cast is solid. They finally broke through two years ago with a Cup, and they still have a lot of players off that team.
5) Florida Panthers: Classic underachievers year in and year out, they went all-in to add goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to a talented lineup and hired multiple Stanley Cup winning coach Joel Quenneville. If Bobo can play his best, and coach Q puts it all together, this could be a dark horse contender.
Puncher's chance: Pittsburgh, New York Islanders, New Jersey.
Playoff contenders: New York Rangers, Carolina, Columbus, Philadelphia, Montreal.
Rebuilding mode (still): Buffalo, Detroit, Ottawa.
5 Western Conference Stanley Cup contenders
1) Nashville Predators: The Preds have been oh so close year in and year out, but just can't get over the hump. They have arguably the best defense in hockey, and they weakened that by shipping out P.K. Subban to make room for center Matt Duchene. Are they better? That's what we will find out. A lot depends on goalie Pekka Rinne, who is getting up there in age.
2) St. Louis Blues: The Blues were an unlikely Cup winner last season when goalie Jordan Binnington became an elite player the second half of the season and throughout the playoffs. They bring back basically the same group, but repeating last year's remarkable run might be difficult.
3) Dallas Stars: Believe it or not, this could be the Stars year. In a few short seasons they have gone from team that could score with anyone and couldn't stop anyone to a powerful defensive unit that struggles to score. The addition of former Shark Joe Pavelski should be a huge difference for the offense. The key will be goalie Ben Bishop, who was remarkable last year. If he does it again this year, the Stars are Cup contenders. If not? It will be another disappointing season.
4) San Jose Sharks: Even without Pavelski, this is a solid group year in and year out, and they might have the two best defensemen in hockey with Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. The problem last year was goal tending, and Martin Jones will have to play at a much higher level this season. He is capable, and if he does, they have a real shot.
5) Vegas Golden Knights: The amazing run to the Stanley Cup in their first season was followed up by a decent year last year. They are deep, talented, but may have had to ship off too much talent to stay under the cap. As long as they have goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, they are legitimate contenders.
Puncher's chance:Chicago, Calgary, Colorado, Winnipeg, Minneapolis, Arizona, Vancouver, Edmonton.
Rebuilding mode: Los Angeles, Anaheim.
The bottom line
The West is pretty wide open in terms of playoff spots, so a hot goalie and a few surprises could put almost any team in there. The East is simply deeper and more talented, and just getting to the Cup will be difficult.
If you are looking for value to win the Cup, Dallas (+1600), Florida (+1800) and Nashville (+1800) are all worth a look. It should be an interesting season; these are key years for teams like Tampa, Toronto and Nashville. Don't be surprised if Chicago makes a run as well. No matter what, it should be fun.
Bold predictions
The trendy Cup pick is Tampa over Dallas. I will believe Tampa when they actually get to a Stanley Cup again. I do have Dallas coming out of the West, and how about a shocker from the East - the Florida Panthers. Dallas winds up hoisting the Cup.
As the Houston Astros continue to navigate a season riddled with injuries and inconsistencies, the question looms larger than ever: can they keep their heads above water? With a barrage of pitching injuries threatening to derail their season, the Astros are finding themselves in a position where every decision matters more than ever.
The recent setbacks to the pitching staff (Hayden Wesnieski, Ronel Blanco) have placed even more pressure on the club. Lance McCullers, whose performances have been inconsistent, is now squarely in the spotlight. The Astros will need him to step up and shoulder a larger portion of the load. At the same time, the bullpen, which has been a bright spot so far, must continue its elite play to keep the team afloat. In particular, Houston can't afford to make mistakes in its decision-making, whether in the lineup or on the field.
Take, for example, the decision to give Chas McCormick a second start after his costly mistakes in Game 1 against the Rays. McCormick’s two pick-offs in that game showed he's lacking focus, yet he was given another chance to start Game 2. Houston needs to be making the right calls on the field, and this was a moment where the manager’s trust in McCormick might have been better placed elsewhere, considering his lack of success in the series.
On the offensive side, the Astros’ struggles have been just as apparent. Jose Altuve, a cornerstone of the franchise, has been attempting to bunt while hitting in the 3-hole. It’s a strategy that just doesn’t make sense. With the Astros needing to produce runs, Altuve's role is to drive them in, not waste strikes with ill-timed bunt attempts.
Is Houston's roster poorly constructed or just unlucky?
Given the pitching woes and offensive troubles, some are beginning to question whether the Astros’ roster is poorly constructed, or if it’s simply been an unfortunate series of events. The bad luck with pitching injuries is undeniable, but the offense tells a different story—particularly when it comes to the lineup’s balance.
One glaring issue is the team’s heavy reliance on right-handed hitters. With players like Christian Walker struggling at the plate, it’s hard to overlook the potential misstep in roster construction. Walker’s performance this season has been abysmal, and it’s fair to wonder if the Astros would have been better off investing in a more flexible first-base platoon. Players like Jon Singleton, Victor Caratini, Zach Dezenzo, Yainer Diaz, and even Mauricio Dubon could have filled in at first base, providing much-needed depth at a fraction of the cost. At this point, they couldn’t have done worse than Walker, who has posted a paltry .199 batting average, .270 OBP, and .607 OPS on the season.
In comparison, Walker’s numbers this season are worse than Jose Abreu’s 2023 campaign with Houston (.237 batting avg, .296 OBP, .680 OPS). Walker is a player known for slow starts, but nothing quite as severe as what we’ve seen in 2025. His struggles are reminiscent of a disastrous start to the 2022 season that saw him fail to find his rhythm until much later in the year, but even then, his slugging percentage was significantly better than what we’re seeing now.
Would a return of “career Yordan Alvarez” fix Houston’s offensive woes?
Amid the offensive malaise, the return of a fully healthy Yordan Alvarez could certainly provide a much-needed spark. If Alvarez were to return to his “career” form, with a healthy pitching staff, an intact bullpen, and a potential resurgence from key hitters, the Astros could see a drastic improvement in their fortunes. However, this is all contingent on a lot of “ifs,” and there’s no guarantee that a turnaround is on the horizon.
Observations and further concerns
As if the struggles on offense and pitching weren’t enough, the Astros’ defense has also been plagued by lapses in fundamentals. One of the more puzzling trends this season has been the number of stolen bases allowed, especially at third base. If the Astros continue to give up steals at this rate, it will be difficult for the pitchers to recover, especially if they are walking batters and putting runners in scoring position with alarming frequency.
We have so much more to get to. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday! Note: because of the holiday weekend, our next episode will be after Memorial Day on Tuesday.
*ChatGPT assisted.
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