The Senators have surprisingly taken the mantle of the Canadian team with the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. The Oilers are just below as the 7th most likely team, with the Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks rounding out the top 10.
The rest of the NHL will love to see that for the first time in a while, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren't near the top 10, and aren't anywhere close to the top Canadian team.
The Senators actually have the worst record out of the aforementioned teams at a 8-7-1, but for some reason, MoneyPuck must really love their chances of making the playoffs and facing up against their Atlantic Division rivals.
Last year the Oilers had similarly great chances to win because of their path through the playoffs, and this season, the western conference is similarly weaker. It's surprising that the Oilers aren't the top ranked Canadian team to win the cup, but that's an entirely different from the absurdity of it being the Senators.
Ottawa hasn't made the playoffs since their rebuild, and although they're looking much better this season with a proper starting goalie and their young talent taking another step, they'll have a long, long, long way to go before they prove themselves to be a better Stanley Cup threat than the Oilers.
The slow start for the Edmonton Oilers surely plays into the lower ranking to begin this year, but surely, the Oilers will rattle off a win streak soon that will put them back in conversation for the NHL's best team.
POLL | ||
Do you think the Senators will make this playoffs this year? | ||