Following the 1994-95 NHL Season, the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver and became rechristened as the Colorado Avalanche. In 1995-96, they became Stanley Cup Champions, and if you fast-forward roughly 30 years, their newest geographic rival, the Utah Hockey Club, could always end up doing the same.
While it would be one shocker for the NHL universe, the unexpected could always happen throughout the course of a long season. So what would need to occur for Utah to sneak into the playoffs and win the Cup as opposed to just winning consistently, which is always key?
Here are three reasons why the Rock Black and Mountain Blue can repeat what the Avalanche accomplished nearly three decades ago.
1 - The Central Division may not be that tough
While the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche look threatening, third place and below is up for grabs. The Nashville Predators look like a powerhouse, but let’s pump the brakes: This team has opted to sign aging players, and they have yet to take the ice as a unit, so we have no idea what the Preds will look like.
The Chicago Blackhawks look way better, but it’s one of those situations where reality will probably strike them sooner rather than later, and the St. Louis Blues are backsliding. The Minnesota Wild look like they’re lagging behind everyone else, and the Winnipeg Jets lost more than they gained.
That said, there’s a good chance the Central Division will resemble the Metropolitan Division from a season ago. And it means a random team can end up taking third place or even sneak into a wild card spot, which creates a lane for Utah toward the Cup if they get hot at the right time.
2 - Utah actually looked like a contender last season
Last season, the Arizona Coyotes took seventh place in the Central, which naturally stacks the odds against the team that now bears most of its 2023-24 lineup. But if you followed the Yotes last season, they held up very well and looked like contenders during the first half of the 2023-24 campaign, and this Utah team, on paper, is an improved group over what the Yotes had in their final season.
Should Utah steamroll out to a hot start like the Coyotes did last year, they should have the pieces there to sustain that growth in 2024-25. If that happens, coupled with the fact the Central may not be as competitive as most think it will be, Utah could easily find itself competing for third or fourth place in the season’s “down the stretch” period and acquire a trade piece or two so they can make a run.
3 - Underdogs have won the Cup before
Overall, history is on Utah’s side in more ways than one. Teams like the 2011-12 Los Angeles Kings, for example, were the eighth-seeded team in the West with 95 points, and they snuck away with the Cup.
LA struck again in the 2013-14 season after making the playoffs as the sixth-best team in the West. While the Vegas Golden Knights didn’t win the Cup in 2017-18, they still proved everyone wrong and went on what was arguably the best inaugural season in NHL history by earning a trip to the Final.
And we also can’t forget about 2018-19, when the St. Louis Blues shocked the hockey world after looking like one of the worst teams in the West. Following a coaching change, the Blues went on an inspiring run and hoisted their first and only Cup.
If you notice a common denominator, not only did all these teams win a Cup with the odds stacked against them, but they all came from the Western Conference. So, maybe Utah will indeed look to these groups as inspiration and be that next team to make an unprecedented run.
(Historical data powered by Hockey-Reference)