Western Conference Playoff Teams and Their Paths to the Stanley Cup
What's the case for every Western Conference team currently in the playoffs to win the 2025 Stanley Cup?
With an Eastern Conference breakdown out of the way, what’s the case for each team currently in a Western Conference playoff spot to go the distance?
Here are the eight teams in the West set to make the postseason, ranked by record:
Winnipeg Jets (81 points)
Dallas Stars (72 points)
Edmonton Oilers (72 points)
Vegas Golden Knights (72 points)
Minnesota Wild (70 points)
Colorado Avalanche (68 points)
Los Angeles Kings (65 points)
Vancouver Canucks (63 points)
Is there a case for each of these teams to win a Stanley Cup? If so, what is it? Let’s take a look, in ascending order.
Winnipeg Jets
Talk about consistency. On American Thanksgiving, the Jets had the league’s best points percentage (.783). Since then, they have the third-best points percentage (.682). Winnipeg has presented their case as the best team in the NHL—it’s time for them to prove it in the playoffs.
The Jets are strong everywhere you look. Sure, his playoff resume isn’t the greatest, but Connor Hellebuyck is the best goaltender in the sport. Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Gabe Vilardi have been particularly productive on offense, while Josh Morrissey is capable of leading an elite defense.
Really, the Jets just need to put it all together in the playoffs. They have the makings of a Stanley Cup champion, but have only been to the second round just once since 2019.
Winnipeg got hot late last season and ran into a strong Avalanche team in the opening round. Poised to finish atop the Western Conference, maybe things go differently—the Canucks look particularly vulnerable as the bottom seed.
Dallas Stars
The Stars are one of four teams with a points percentage above .700 since New Year’s. Their plus-9 goal differential on special teams is second-best in the NHL.
After a bit of an on-and-off start to the season, the Stars are tied for second in the Western Conference. But is this finally the team that gets over the hump? It’s tough to tell.
Dallas will be chasing their third consecutive appearance in the Western Conference Final. They were brushed aside by the Golden Knights in 2023 and overpowered by the Oilers in 2024—it begs the question, is the core good enough to go all the way?
