5 Unique 2025 Stanley Cup Final Matchups We'd Love to See

It's the start of a new NHL season, filled with hope and possibility for all 32 clubs and their legions of fans.

However, only two teamsone from the Eastern Conference and one from the Western Conferencewill meet in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final next June to decide this season's winner of hockey's holy grail.

The NHL's expansion since 1967 has resulted in unique Stanley Cup Final matches .

Last season saw the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers facing off for the first time in postseason action, giving hockey fans a memorable series that went the full seven games.

Some years gave us matchups involving one team winning the Stanley Cup for the first time, like the Panthers last season, the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, the St.

Louis Blues in 2019, and the Washington Capitals in 2018.

We've seen recent matchups involving Original Six clubs like the Montreal Canadiens (2021), Boston Bruins (2019) and Chicago Blackhawks (2015).

We've also witnessed teams accomplish the difficult feat of winning the Cup in consecutive seasons like the Tampa Bay Lighting (2020 and 2021) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016 and 2017).

Even though it's very early in this regular season, we've compiled a list of five unique Stanley Cup matchups we'd love to see next June.

One series involves a couple of hard-luck teams that need a championship lift, an all-Canadian matchup, a clash of generations, two rebuilding, and two clubs that could finish atop their respective conferences by the end of the regular season.

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Call this matchup the Battle of the Rebuilding Underdogs.

A decade ago, Chicago was among the NHL's elite franchises.

Led by superstars Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith, they'd won the Stanley Cup in 2009-10 and again during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.

They would finish 2014-15 with their third Cup in six years.

Chicago's glory days are long gone and so are Kane, Toews, and Keith.

They've missed the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons and have spent the past two years rebuilding around young center Connor Bedard, who could become a generational talent who leads them back to Stanley Cup glory someday.

The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, have been plagued by mismanagement since joining the NHL in 2000-01, reaching the playoffs only six times in their history.

They're once again in a rebuilding cycle while dealing with the loss of star forward Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed along with his brother Matthew by a drunk driver on Aug.

29.

Neither club is considered a playoff contender this season, let alone a Cup contender.

Still, it would make quite the underdog story if they defied the odds and reached the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.

This matchup involves two clubs that could use a lift after spending years in the postseason wilderness.

The Utah Hockey Club was, until last season, the Arizona Coyotes.

They were forced to relocate after years of mismanagement and multiple ownerships.

Under new owners and after several years of rebuilding with young talent, they could be poised for greater success than they endured in Arizona in recent years.

Once upon a time, the Coyotes were the original Winnipeg Jets from 1979-80 to 1995-96 until they moved to a larger and hoped-for better market.

Their first six years in Arizona saw them reach the playoffs five times.

They also had a three-year postseason stretch from 2009-10 to 2011-12, reaching the 2012 Conference Final.

After that, the Coyotes stumbled along, reaching the playoffs only once in 12 seasons.

That postseason appearance was due to the league expanding the playoff field to complete the 2019-20 season following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, otherwise, they would've missed the playoffs 12 straight years.

Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres had a long playoff history that their fans could be proud of, including reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1975 and 1999.

Unlike the Coyotes who struggled to generate consistent interest, the Sabres enjoyed strong fan support throughout most of their existence.

However, the Sabres' last playoff appearance was in 2010-11, setting a league record for the longest postseason drought with 13 seasons and counting.

They're on their fourth general manager since 2013 and their seventh head coach.

They've been bad for so long that fan frustration appears to be giving way to apathy.

The Sabres narrowly missed the playoffs in 2022-23 as Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, and youngsters developed into stars.

However, they struggled to meet expectations last season.

Meanwhile, Utah HC hopes a fresh start in a new market led by young stars like Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, and Dylan Guenther will end their postseason misery.

A Cup Final between Utah and Buffalo probably won't be a big ratings winner for the NHL.

However, it could help the league grow the game in its brand-new location while rekindling the excitement in one of its long-time markets.

The last all-Canadian Stanley Cup Final occurred in 1989 when the Calgary Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games to win their first and, to date, their only championship.

Forget about an Original Six matchup between the Canadiens and their forever rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, or another tilt in The Battle of Alberta between the Flames and Edmonton Oilers.

The current playoff setup means those series will never occur in the Stanley Cup Final.

The case can be made for an all-Canadian tilt involving some combination of Western Conference teams like Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and the Winnipeg Jets facing the Leafs, Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators.

Nevertheless, the current matchup we'd like to see is the Leafs against the Canucks.

Since the first wave of expansion in 1967, the Maple Leafs, Canucks, Senators and Jets have not won the Cup.

The Leafs' last Stanley Cup came in 1966-67, the last season of the Original Six era.

Meanwhile, the Canucks went to three Cup Finals since joining the league in 1970 but have yet to hoist a championship banner.

In short, their Cup droughts have lasted longer.

You can split hairs and say the Senators have waited longer since the original version won their last Cup in 1927, but they've at least been to the Cup Final once in the modern era.

Since 1967, the Leafs have yet to reach the Final, and they would provide a better matchup against the Canucks.

Led by the "Core Four" of forwards Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares, the Leafs have been among the NHL's top teams since 2018-19, including a franchise-best 115 point performance in 2021-22 and 111 points in 2022-23.

The Canucks, meanwhile, endured eight seasons of painful rebuilding from 2015-16 to 2022-23 before breaking out with a 109-point campaign that ranked as the third-best in franchise history.

Powered by stars like Quinn Hughes, J.T.

Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser, they could become a powerhouse in the West.

Both clubs also have goaltending worries and concerns about their overall defensive depth.

Nevertheless, the star power in their rosters and their offensive skills would make for an entertaining series to determine which club can be considered "Canada's Team" for 2025.

The Edmonton Oilers came within a period in Game 7 of winning the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.

Led by superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, their quest is to return to the Final and win the franchise's first Cup since 1990 , taking their place alongside the immortal Oilers teams of the 1980s.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins are no longer the dominant team that won three Stanley Cups between 2007-08 and 2016-17 , including back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017, missing the playoffs last season for the second straight year.

Long-time core players Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are approaching the twilight of their careers.

Nevertheless, it would be a hoot if these two clubs were to meet in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.

Call it the Clash of Generations pitting McDavid against Crosby.

Joining the NHL in 2015-16, McDavid is the best player of his generation.

He's won the Art Ross Trophy five times, the Ted Lindsay Award four times, the Hart Memorial Trophy three times, the Maurice Richard Trophy once, and the Conn Smythe Trophy last season, becoming only the sixth player to win that award despite losing the Stanley Cup Final.

Crosby is his generation's greatest player.

From 2005-06 to 2016-17, Crosby won the Lindsay Award three times, and the Art Ross, Maurice Richard, Hart, and Conn Smythe Trophies twice.

He's also won three Stanley Cups, while McDavid is still chasing his first.

Watching those two future Hall-of-Famers go head-to-head in the Stanley Cup Final would make for an entertaining series.

McDavid, 27, is in his prime and the league's most dominant offensive force.

The 37-year-old Crosby netted 94 points last season, is a better all-around forward, and has a wealth of championship experience.

It's unlikely to happen, but it's still a matchup we'd love to see.

The Dallas Stars and New York Rangers have never faced each other in NHL playoff action.

That could change this season, especially if both clubs finish atop their respective conferences.

This could be the series showcasing the league's two best clubs.

The Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy last year with the best regular-season record of 55 wins, 23 losses, and four overtime losses for a league-leading 114 points.

The Stars, meanwhile, finished one point behind the Rangers in the overall standings with a record of 52 wins, 21 losses, and nine overtime losses.

That record put them atop the Western Conference standings by the end of the season.

Led by veteran stars Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers are a skillful club with plenty of scoring punch among their top-six forwards.

They also possess a former Vezina Trophy-winning goalie in Igor Shesterkin and a former James Norris Memorial Trophy winner in Adam Fox.

The Stars possess a solid mix of established veterans like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Matt Duchene and young talent like forwards Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, defenseman Miro Heiskanen and goaltender Jake Oettinger.

They've reached the Western Conference Final in the last two seasons.

Finishing atop their respective conferences doesn't guarantee a trip to the Stanley Cup Final as the Rangers and Stars know from painful experience.

Nevertheless, the chance to see the league's top two regular-season teams clash for the Cup should produce high-caliber hockey as well as a ratings bonanza for the league.

Franchise and trophy info via NHL.com ..

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