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Five NHL Teams Closest to Breaking their Franchise’s Stanley Cup Curse

By Max Greenberg

Filip Forsberg #9 of the Nashville Predators scores a power-play goal against William Karlsson #71 and Alex Pietrangelo #7 of the Vegas Golden Knights, Forsberg's third goal of the game, with less than five seconds left in the third period to tie their game at 4-4 at T-Mobile Arena on December 31, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Predators 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Filip Forsberg #9 of the Nashville Predators scores a power-play goal against William Karlsson #71 and Alex Pietrangelo #7 of the Vegas Golden Knights, Forsberg's third goal of the game, with less than five seconds left in the third period to tie their game at 4-4 at T-Mobile Arena on December 31, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Predators 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports /

Seattle Kraken

Stanley Cup Appearances: 0  

If you are an NHL fan looking to add fuel to the argument of “Gary Bettman gives expansion teams nowadays way too many privileges, way too early on,” then look no further than this article.

It is a tough thing to come to grips with, but when you look at all of the teams who have not won a Stanley Cup, it is hard to push back on the notion that the Kraken are the closest of the team without a Stanley Cup.

The best way to describe the Seattle Kraken is deep. They do not yet have a proven superstar, but if you are looking for a squad that can roll four forward lines and three defensive pairings, these guys check that box.

Of course, you need a real and lethal superstar if you want to compete for a Stanley Cup, but they might eventually have that in Matty Beniers. Jared McCann also just had a breakout year, so the Kraken are not a team you can look at as just having depth players.

Oh and they also have a little under $20M of cap space and several picks over the next few years. They can make whatever move they want, which includes splurging on a proven superstar to complement Beniers, McCann, and the rest of their roster.

The Kraken are set up almost exactly how all teams would like to be. They have a good enough roster to be a legit playoff team, as they were this year, but also enough younger players and overall potential to keep their window open for years and years.

Is it fair to the teams who have been around for many years and have struggled time and time again to maintain a contending team? Not in the slightest, but it appears as though new norm is expansion teams coming in and legitimately competing in the first three years of their existence.

Stanley Cup window: 1 to 5 years

Next. Six Players Who Will be on Predators Roster Bubble in Training Camp. dark

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