#1- Bruins- obviously
#2- Wild- The Wild have never won a cup, which is somewhat surprising to me. They also are one of the underdogs in the playoffs, since they would have to get through Colorado and Vegas (likely) in the first two rounds
#3- Maple Leafs- Everyone seems to want to see Jumbo Joe win a cup. For me, I simply like the Leafs, since they're a fun team to watch and always seem to lose in the playoffs, and I'd like to see that drought end. As fun as it is to watch Steve Dangle complain about them, it would be nice to see them win a cup.
#4- Panthers- The Panthers are another team that has never won a cup. They seem like a fun team to watch (at least game 1 vs Tampa was fun to watch), and if they won, it would mean the Lightning would be eliminated in the 1st round, something I'd very much like to see.
#5- Blues- If the Blues won the cup, I could stop thinking that St. Louis "deserved the ring in 2019" and go back to complaining about the non-call on Bozak in peace.
#6- Islanders- The first hockey game I ever went to was seeing the Islanders beating the Capitals in some meaningless end of season game when I went to D.C. I always kind of liked the Islanders, and I like the kind of hockey that they play. They also are a team that hasn't won a cup.
#7- Hurricanes- I just like them. They're a good team.
#8- Predators- The last of the teams that have never won it all. I really don't care much about the Predators.
#9- Capitals- Zdeno Chara is the only reason the Caps are this high. Normally I take pleasure in watching the Capitals suffer embarrassing playoff losses at the hands of inferior opponents.
#10- Canadiens- I kind of like the Habs, or I at least like to have a rivalry between them and the Bruins.
#11-Avalanche- I picked them to win the cup at the beginning of the season, but they seem like the favorite right now and it would be boring if they won.
#12- Oilers- It would be cool to see McDavid play in the Final (I don't really get to watch him that much being on the east coast), but apart from that I really couldn't care less about their team.
#13- Jets- Same as the Oilers except that they don't have Connor McDavid.
#14- Golden Knights- I never really liked Vegas. I'd like to see them lose to the Bruins in the final.
#15- Penguins- They've had their glory. They won twice in the past decade. Let someone else have a turn.
#16- Lightning- They won it last year. They also beat the Bruins a lot, which I don't like. Furthermore, their jerseys are ugly and boring. On top of that, Tampa has won way too much* over the past year, with the Lightning and Buccaneers winning it all, and the Rays making it to the World Series. Lastly, hockey doesn't belong in places that literally don't have ice in the winter.
*Maybe it's a bit irrational for a Boston sports fan to be talking about winning too much, but whatever
What would be worse is if the Leafs got out of the North to lose to the Bruins again lol
What would be awful is if the Leafs beat the Bruins. And tbh, I thought they were going to in 2019. They had a 3-2 lead in the series, and Freddie Anderson was on fire.
All for it
1 Predators - fanbase deserves a cup
2 Golden Knights - great for sport
3 Wild - Min fans deserve it...
4 Islanders - only here for Palms, Zajac, Greene, Schneider
5 Lightning - Coleman...and repeats are rare
6 Jets - WPG fans deserve it.
7 Panthers - good for sport, fun team
can go either way
8 Oilers - Want it for McDavid...but meh on team
9 Blues - not good enough to be two-cup squad
10 Avalanche - I still want 2001 back
mostly against
11 Penguins - rival (but it is the Crosby era)
12 Hurricanes - meh
13 Capitals - Wilson
14 Bruins - Marchand
15 Canadiens - they had enough
16 Maple Leafs - I like long streaks
All for it
1 Predators - fanbase deserves a cup
2 Golden Knights - great for sport
3 Wild - Min fans deserve it...
4 Islanders - only here for Palms, Zajac, Greene, Schneider
5 Lightning - Coleman...and repeats are rare
6 Jets - WPG fans deserve it.
7 Panthers - good for sport, fun team
can go either way
8 Oilers - Want it for McDavid...but meh on team
9 Blues - not good enough to be two-cup squad
10 Avalanche - I still want 2001 back
mostly against
11 Penguins - rival (but it is the Crosby era)
12 Hurricanes - meh
13 Capitals - Wilson
14 Bruins - Marchand
15 Canadiens - they had enough
16 Maple Leafs - I like long streaks
I think it's good for the sport not to have the Lightning repeat. One of the things I love about the sport is how hard it is to win the cup, let alone to repeat. Also, I think a Canadien team like the Leafs or Habs would be more deserving of the Cup than a team from Florida, since hockey is so popular in Canada and is less popular in the U.S.