DLLS Stars NHL Predictions: Who Will Win The 2026 Stanley Cup?
Is there any reason in your mind that the Stars can’t face Vegas in the conference final and beat them? This is now going to be our second annual season predictions. And we had to shoehorn this in today because there are games in the league tomorrow as LDS properly celebrated at the end of our postgame show on Saturday, no more preseason. And he goes, “Thank goodness.” And I agree, these games matter. Starting tomorrow night, a triple header on ESPN. There’s games on Wednesday. The Stars will play on Thursday in Winnipeg as they open the season. So, just like last year and Luds, our predictions were spot on. We were completely right last year by the time the playoffs happened. Let’s start with who wins each division. Regular season division champs for each. Uh Ryan, you have some graphics. So, let’s start with Craig Bloodwigs. No. Yeah. Let me piss us through like Let everybody get booing me early. So, so I have Tampa winning the Atlantic. Uh, and I don’t think anybody really cares in the Atlantic in their top three teams. Uh, I’ve got the Canes and the Met and I, Let me skip over to the Pacific. I have V Vegas over there in the Pacific. And in the Central, I have the I have the Colorado Avalanche. You said you don’t think anybody cares in the Atlantic. You mean of the teams that are uh vying for a Stanley Cup, the let’s say Toronto, Florida, Tampa, that they don’t care if they’re the division winners? Yeah, they I mean that that’s that’s what’s there. Only thing really is to avoid I mean if you’re if you win as Toronto, you avoid Florida, Tampa in the first round, right? That’s the that’s the only benefit of it. Ryan, who’s our next contestant, Sean? Oh, I have a feeling I have a feeling these are all exact same picks. Wait, seriously? Yeah, I think I do, too. Oh, come on. I’m pretty sure I do too, Sean. I mean, you want to defend yourself? Yeah. I mean, yeah, I have this was the I look at uh how the regular this is regular season. I spoiler, I have not one of these four teams winning the Stanley Cup. Um, and so I have uh but I think based off where things are going and I think Colorado’s going to win the Central. I’ll say I can be booed on that. That’s fine, LSD. I’m right there with you. And I I think what Tampa and I think Tampa’s going to kind of have a bit of a statement season this year. I also think Vegas kind of I don’t know about the goalending, but I think if they make another move we hear they might make they uh might be a little bit more solidified. So yeah, I I I’m have a similar thoughts to Luds on all of this. So might as well go to the next one. Let’s put Sam’s up there if you have it. Wow. This is easy work for Ryan. And just so everybody knows, we do this sitting. Did you get together and talk about this in advance? They’re not together. My only thought here outside of what those guys just said is I I think Florida’s going to have a very average season, which they totally are okay with. They got the injuries. They’ll just get in the playoffs. Um Carolina is always a really good regular season team. For me, I don’t know what Dallas is. I don’t really know what Winnipeg is. And I think Utah’s going to have a big year, but I don’t think they win the division. So that that to me St. Louis St. Louis, Utah’s not winning the division. That’s what I’m saying. So, for me, Colorado is the only one that I lucky to get in. I have Utah getting in, but I they’re on the bubble and Vegas, I think, should is probably the best team. I promise you, I at least a little bit different. My picks are close because I had two of the know the homer picks Dallas all the time. Jesus. I will defend myself. I agree with you guys with Vegas and Carolina. I I really I don’t see a team that’s going to beat them. We’ll see if that’s completely wrong. I went with the Leafs and I’m struggling even as I made that pick because I don’t think Tampa is the division winner. I don’t think they’re as good as Lud says they are. I also don’t think Florida’s going to win it, especially after the Bararkov injury, but I don’t know if Florida’s going to be that bad either, Sam. Like I I really have a hard time picking them for a wildcard team. But if you look at the other teams in the Atlantic, Ottawa, Montreal, Detroit, Boston, Buffalo, none of those teams I think are going to push the top three. So, I decided to go with the Leafs to win the division, but they’re going to get knocked out early in the playoffs. And we all enjoy that. And the reason why I picked Dallas is not the homer nonsense over here is to the what Sean just said, I’m not really convinced what Winnipeg is. I don’t think Colorado is as good as people are giving them credit for. And that’s it. Like the the bubble here. This is the before we get to who wins their conference and who wins the Stanley Cup. Luds, if you look at the bubble teams, let’s talk about the central besides besides those top three. Utah, I think, is going to be better than last year. St. Louis with Jim Montgomery, they already made the playoffs. They’re going to be a problem. I don’t think they’re that great, but they’re going to be a problem. Minnesota, are they Minnesota’s the only team that Minnesota is the team that Utah has to get past. Yes. That’s it. Right. Because Nashville and Chicago are gonna be terrible. As long as the guy isn’t doesn’t have his wallet in his back pocket this year while he’s playing the games or he doesn’t miss three quarters, it’s probably going to carry him over the edge. For me, if you look at the Central and then the wild card in the Western Conference, I think it’s going to be Utah, St. Louis, Minnesota, Calgary, and maybe I I think Vancouver is not going to be that good. Maybe they’ll be there, maybe Anaheim fighting for those last couple of spots. And I think it’s going to be an absolute bloodbath for those wild card spots in the west. Don’t finish in a wild card on the east. And quickly on the east side, ls Ottawa’s going to be better. Montreal is right there. Sean is is Ottawa is going to take points away from your Maple Leafs. I’m just going to let you know. You might be right. Sean thinks Detroit actually might take a step. Maybe step not playoff team. Step two different things. Closer. And I think Columbus is right there. I’m having a tough tough time with those wild card spots in the East, but we were picking division one. I’m just glad we didn’t have to pick all the playoffs. Yeah, I was going to say I thought we just we just did division. Well, I did them all, but then you guys didn’t. So, that’s why Ryan didn’t make all the graphics. I think Ottawa and Columbus are my wild card teams, whereas I think uh St. Louis and Utah are and I have Minnesota missing. You think that’s going to happen, LS? I do. I do. I I think Utah’s in. But I I think it’s coming down to Utah and Minnesota and I’m just wondering if you know Carrill is gonna, you know, carry the load there and what will Billy do something else to add something there? Sean, what do you think? Is that is that fair or does Minnesota make it and somebody else not? I have a thought about Minnesota getting on on the Carell thing. I think he may be him and I think there’s going to be a bunch of Russian players that are going to be some of the best players in the league coming out of the Olympics. Like I think there’s going to be quite a few since they can’t go to the Olympics, they’re going to sit and watch. I think there’s gonna be a bunch of Russian players that come up and tear it up after the Olympics and I think Carrill is one of those. And so I have a hard time. There aren’t many teams, Luds, there aren’t many players that can drive a team solo and the way that Capriovv does. And so he’s going to be rested. There’s going to be someone’s going to get some star player is going to get hurt in the Olympics. It’s going to suck. Someone’s going to get hurt. The Wild aren’t going to lose their best player. He’s going to come back motivated. I I I have a hard time like for me I I would put I would pick Minnesota there over Utah right now. So I have a hard time arguing with it. I mean to me it all hinges on that guy. I I really believe and it should I mean and he accepted that that responsibility. All right, let’s go to conference uh champions. So this is fast forwarding through the playoffs instead of doing every round. Who’s going to win the Eastern Conference and Western Conference and go to the Stanley Cup final? Ryan, who do you have? So Sean said he doesn’t have anybody winning the He’s got Vegas and Florida winning the respective conferences. Sean rematch. I uh I think Florida I don’t think Florida’s going to win the division as I said because I think Tampa’s going to but I think this Florida team they’re going to get Kachchuck back mid-season. And I know they’re not going to have Bararkov, but it’s a team that continues to find a way to build off things. And they the chance to go for a three repeat, I think, is something that’s very powerful. And with Barov’s injury, with how they have they have a GM and Bill Zitto who is willing to make the big swing, I think they’re going to make a seven or eight million dollar addition at the deadline. I don’t know which one it’ll be, but I think they will. And so I think they’ll be clicking in time for for the playoffs there. And so I’m going with Florida to win the East. And I think Vegas, it goes back to the goalending, but I think Vegas is the is the team out of the West right now. All right, Ryan, who’s next? I picked the exact same, too, because I agree. I didn’t have the straight finals. I know. And I don’t want to pick them because of that, but as I was going through who’s where and who wins what, Luds, hard to pick against them. Yeah, hard to pick against the Florida Panthers. I just think that they’ve played way too many games. I think they’re they have a couple players that are going to be catching up if they get into the lineup and I believe that Tampa and Florida have set the tone how they’re going to play against this year and Tampa is is primed to take and and I know Florida can play that game, but I don’t know if they’re going to be able to get past. You know what’s funny is as soon as he said that, that’s exactly the wording that we both used last year why we didn’t pick Florida and then they won the cup. Okay. So, go Ryan, go to the next one. We’ll do these and then get to the cup winners after the break. Luds, you didn’t pick Tampa or Florida, though. I think it’s time for Carolina. I I just said I think they can knock Florida out. They’ve got to play them. I think that’s how they’re going to beat him. But I I I you know what? I don’t even know if they have the right goalending here. I don’t know if one guy is going to be healthy. I don’t know what the other one can do. Boy, that’s a big question. just but I do think that they’ve upgraded their team and and for that’s why I think Carolina is is I think they’re due for some reason they’re due and for Vegas for all the reasons that Sean said also. Sam. Yeah. What did you pick? I have the same team from the West, Vegas. All four of us, but I have Tampa. Interesting. I am very high on Tampa this year. I picked them last year to go to the final and I got burned and so I didn’t do it this I just think Vasilki showed last year that he’s still one of the best of in the NHL. Cucharov’s going to be on one. A team as you just said, Luds looks like they are ready to play the Florida style. I think Cucharov Well, we’ll see why in a little bit, but I but I think I disagree a little bit with about the goalender because I think he could have had a better year. I thought I think he was where he didn’t play as well and he looked disinterested at times and I think that will motivate him this year to be better. and he’s one of those guys that Sean was talking about not playing in the Olympics because of the Russian ban. All right, let’s go to the We all picked Vegas. Let’s go to our Stanley Cup champions. What did you have when you get to the final round? Who wins the cup this year? Ryan, who do we have first? I picked Vegas. Not because I want to, but I just had a hard time picking stone on the graphic. Three years in a row, right? It felt like that was tricky. Yeah. But I also know picking against Florida at your own peril with the way they’ve played. So I had Vegas. Who’s next? Buds had Vegas. Oh no. I had Vegas. Yeah, I did. Uh because of everything I just got done saying earlier. Yep. Next. Sam Vegas. Oh, no way. I don’t know about Sean. That’s the only one I wasn’t sure about. I had Anybody listening or watching, this is all good news for the Dallas Stars unless none of us wanted to pick Vegas. No, I really didn’t. And Sean. Hey. All right. Florida Panthers. So Sean’s picking third in a row. I thought Sean was gonna pick Edmonton again. I mean, if if Matthew Kachchuck gets healthy, I really did. If Bararkov could come back and play, even if he can’t, they’re still a dangerous team. And that’s why I had him finishing higher up in their division because I think Florida is going to be You You made a very good point, Sam. It doesn’t matter where they finish. They don’t care. But I also think Florida has some pride of we’re not gonna get pushed around either. And I think they’re gonna want to have a better rate. I don’t know if they care about winning the division, but they’re not nobody cares anymore. But nobody cares about winning the division. But you don’t want to be in a wild card spot. So you want to be above the fray of that, right? Because you don’t want to be they just want to they’ve learned get to the dance, right? But you don’t want to be on that bubble of in or out. You want to separate yourself so that you’re not worried about when you’re in you’re in, right? But you also don’t want to be stressed out in the last month.
Back for our second annual NHL season predictions, the DLLS Stars Podcast crew makes their bold claims for the following: Who will win the regular season title for each of the four Divisions? Who will win the Eastern & Western Conference titles to reach the Stanley Cup Final? And who will win it all and be crowned as the next Cup champs?
